Epic Love Story: A Pam and Tara Novel
by Divineress
Summary: Pam and Tara find true love and in the process save the known universe, become goddesses, create peace and harmony and sunlit dreams for us all, and live happily ever after, all with a crazy cool soundtrack playing in the background; and it was totally epic. This is a True Blood Parody.
1. Table of Contents and Background

**Table of Contents**

**(Working Draft - Updated Periodically)**

**Author's Note:**

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

The Prologue and the Planet Earth chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The prequel chapters do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, these chapters are very much _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

This is both my first attempt at fan fiction and the first time I've ever shared my writing publicly. I'm a perfectionist who almost always lets the best be the enemy of the good, so I am the only one who reads what I write. But I fell so in love with this story of Pam and Tara that's in my head. Now I just need to get it all down on paper. This process will make me do that, and I decided to see if anyone else wants to come along with me for the ride.

When I first posted this Table of Contents, I included a very long background about what this story is and isn't. It was totally confusing, partly because I needed to think more regarding what my story is about. I originally described it as an homage to epic science fiction films. I now see that was wrong. While this story includes some themes from and homages to science fiction films, it also has scenes from many other types of movies.

In a nutshell, this story is parody, satire, social commentary and my exploration of grand, sweeping ideas about love, happiness, life, death, and spirituality. I basically took True Blood and made my own _Scary Movie_, recasting my True Blood characters in scenes from some of my favorite films. I think I was afraid to say that this is what the story was about before, because good parody is sooooo difficult to pull off, and I didn't want to put it out there and fail miserably at it. Moreover, I'm mixing parody with this existentialist exploration of spirituality and the meaning of life stuff, trying to balance being serious in some parts of the narrative with not taking anything too seriously ultimately, and being fun, all at the same time.

Chapter 1 is this Table of Contents, Background and Soundtrack, which I will periodically update as the story proceeds. The Prologue and Planet Earth chapters introduce you to my original universe and serve as a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. The Pam and Tara chapters roughly follow the True Blood universe from Season 4 through the end of Season 6. All the chapters that follow, which are under the heading Pam and Tara Explore Planet Earth, slowly pull the True Blood characters out of their universe and into my slightly insane, parodic, over-the-top and absurd universe (even by True Blood standards), accentuated by a soundtrack and detailed footnotes on whatever eccentricities go on in my head that I want to share with you.

Thanks so much to a very smart fellow author, who suggested that with so many chapters I find a way to describe their contents so that readers can find scenes they want to reread later. I will do that with the fan fiction chapter descriptions, and I will update this Table of Contents periodically with more detailed descriptions of what's in each chapter.

**Finally, a word of advice for those of you who just found this story and are intrigued enough to take a further read. Chapters 2-4 are essentially a very lengthy prologue. Feedback I've received from readers is that these three chapters are dense and challenging; and they may turn readers off from what is a very great story. If I ever publish this for a wider audience, I will rewrite the entire prologue and turn it into a much shorter, single chapter. I'm leaving it as is on this forum, for those who want to read it unredacted. If you find Chapters 2-4 to be too dense, just skip them and go straight to Chapter 5. I promise that the story is much easier to read and follow from that point on. Also, that's when the real story starts, and you won't lose too much if you skip the prologue chapters entirely or come back to them later.**

**I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.**

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

* * *

**Table of Contents**

**(Working Draft - Updated Periodically)**

Chapter 1 - Table of Contents; Background; Soundtrack

**Prologue: Blue World**

**(Introduction of Jonathan Fergus on Planet Elise; How Pam and Tara Became Goddesses)**

Chapter 2 - Prologue, Part 1: Introduction of Jonathan Fergus and His Family on Planet Elise

Chapter 3 - Prologue, Part 2: Jonathan Fergus Deals With Benedict Saul

Chapter 4 - Prologue, Part 3: Jonathan Fergus Overviews How Pam and Tara Became Elise's Goddesses; William Compton and His Two Special Guests

**The Planet Earth Chapters**

**(Introduction and Backstories of M, Helena, Afrida and Quinn)**

Chapter 5 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Mr. Roboto: Introduction of Generals M, Helena and Afrida and Colonel Quinn; VA Project Meeting

Chapter 6 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Breathe: AV Weapons Testing; Helena, Afrida & Devo; Nikola Tesla & the Man From Dallas

Chapter 7 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Hurt You: Helena Learns Clues About Afrida's True Identity

Chapter 8 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Father and Daughter: Helena Remembers Her Life-Changing Encounter With the Man From Dallas

Chapter 9 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 1: Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn - Quinn is Home Alone; Helena and Afrida Conduct Impromptu Field Tests; M, Quinn and the Generals Go to _Juicy Lucy's Big Bush Club_

Chapter 10 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 2: Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn - The Awakening of Quinn's Inner Tiger, Vampire, Maenad and Fairy; M Confronts Helena About The Man From Dallas; A Distraught M Goes to Afrida

Chapter 11 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 3: An Interlude Between M and Afrida

Chapter 12 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 4: Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn - Let the Alpha Games Begin; HR Director Rachel Sullivan Determines Whether Helena Hates Cats

Chapter 13 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 1: A Dangerous Interlude Between Helena and Afrida Causes Earthquakes

Chapter 14 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 2: The Goddess of Love Isn't _Always _Dangerous; Kara Wellington Has Fears

Chapter 15 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 3: General Hobbes Awaits an Assignment; Helena Learns A Secret About Herself; Helena Gives a Very Special Gift to Kara

Chapter 16 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 4: The Story of Helena Hobbes and Pumpkin; Afrida Opens Pandora's Box; Helena Wolfe's Past Suddenly Becomes Her Present; Pumpkin Returns

Chapter 17 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 5: Wellington Family Pride

Chapter 18 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 6: The Birth of Queen Leonine "Astarte" Wellington (Kara)

Chapter 19 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 7: Arielle (Family is Where You Find It)

Chapter 20 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 8: Sonja Braga and Chelsea Letterman; Helena Remembers the Day She Met Afrida

Chapter 21 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: That's What Friends Are For: Quinn Tiger Roams His Own Territory

Chapter 22 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Right Round: Family Therapy; Quinn Tiger Throws a Party

Chapter 23 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: I Hate Everything About You: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Goddess Scorned

Chapter 24 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Tears From the Moon

Chapter 25 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Beautiful Stranger/I Kissed a Girl

Chapter 26 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Beautiful You Are

Chapter 27 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Besame Mucho

Chapter 28 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Goodbye Horses

Chapter 29 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: (Don't Fear) The Reaper

Chapter 30 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Science Fiction Double Feature

Chapter 31 - Planet Earth, Subtitle: Absolute Beginners

**The Pam and Tara Chapters**

**(Pam and Tara in Their Universe)**

Chapter 32 – The Fear

Chapter 33 – I Love You . . . I'll Kill You

Chapter 34 – Reborn

Chapter 35 – Shot in the Dark

Chapter 36 – Candy Perfume Girl

Chapter 37 – Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

Chapter 38 – I Drove All Night

Chapter 39 – Save Me

Chapter 40 – And Then We Kiss

Chapter 41 – Mine

**Pam and Tara Explore Planet Earth**

**(Pam and Tara in a Different Universe)**

Chapter 42 – Over Your Shoulder

Chapter 43 – Out of Time

Chapter 44 - Devil in Me

Chapter 45 - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Chapter 46 – Strict Machine

Chapter 47 – There's the Girl, Part 1

Chapter 48 - There's the Girl, Part 2

Chapter 49 - Bad Moon Rising

Chapter 50 – I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Part 1

Chapter 51 - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Part 2

Chapter 52 – Family Affair

Chapter 53 – Drive

Chapter 54 – It's a Sin

Chapter 55 – Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Chapter 56 – I'll Never Go Back to Georgia, Part 1

Chapter 57 - I'll Never Go Back to Georgia, Part 2

Chapter 58 - Fly Away

Chapter 59 – No Light, No Light

Chapter 60 – Hurt

Chapter 61 – Queen Bitch

Chapter 62 – Crush

Chapter 63 - Smack My Bitch Up

Chapter 64 – Promises

Chapter 65 – Self Control

Chapter 66 - Bulls on Parade

Chapter 67 –Machinehead (Viking Training Week: Days 1 -3)

Chapter 68 - Reflections (Viking Training Week: Night 3)

Chapter 69 – Take On Me (Viking Training Week: Day 4)

Chapter 70 – Bad Girls (Viking Training Week: Night 4)

Chapter 71 – Dust in the Wind (Viking Training Week: Day 5)

Chapter 72 – Love is Not a Fight (Viking Training Week: Night 5)

Chapter 73 – This Woman's Work (Viking Training Week: Day 6)

Chapter 74 – Teenage Dream (Viking Training Week: Night 6)

Chapter 75 – Home (Viking Training Week: Day 7, Graduation Day)

Chapter 76 – Toreador Song

Chapter 77 – Face to Face

Chapter 78 – Blue Christmas

Chapter 79 - Ain't No Sunshine

Chapter 80 - People Are Strange

Chapter 81 - Wrong Turn

Chapter 82 – She's So High

Chapter 83 – Closer

Chapter 84 – Ice Box

Chapter 85 – Love is a Stranger

Chapter 86 – Lakme (Seven Rounds of Courtship: Round 1)

Chapter 87 – Blue Danube (Seven Rounds of Courtship – Round 2)

Chapter 88 – Black Swan (Seven Rounds of Courtship – Round 3)

Chapter 89 – Nessun Dorma (Seven Rounds of Courtship – Round 4)

Chapter 90 – Send in the Clowns (Seven Rounds of Courtship – Round 5)

Chapter 91 – Beautiful (Seven Rounds of Courtship – Round 6)

Chapter 92 – Tonight (Best You Ever Had) (Seven Rounds of Courtship – Final Round)

Chapter 93 – Locked Out of Heaven

Chapter 94 - Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Chapter 95 – Arrow

Chapter 96 – Nothing Lasts Forever

Chapter 97 – Take the L

Chapter 98 – Three O'Clock in the Morning

Chapter 99 – Electric Sky

Chapter 100 – Blow (Any Way You Want It)

Chapter 101 - Voices Carry

Chapter 102 - Good Times Roll

Chapter 103 - What It Feels Like For a Girl

Chapter 104 – Respect My Conglomerate

Chapter 105 - Sexy Back

Chapter 106 - Faster Kill Pussycat

Chapter 107 – A Girl Like You

Chapter 108 - Vampire Club

Chapter 109 – Rapture

Chapter 110 – Into the Dark

Chapter 111 - The Damned

Chapter 112 – Masquerade

Chapter 113 – I Have the Touch

Chapter 114 – The Power of Love

Chapter 115 – Supernature

Chapter 116 – Love, Love, Love

Chapter 117 - You Can't Stop the Music

Chapter 118 - Clique

Chapter 119 - Medication

Chapter 120 - Lost in the World, Parts 1 and 2

Chapter 121 – Pressure

Chapter 122 – Human

Chapter 123 - No Secrets

Chapter 124 – No Ordinary Love

Chapter 125 - Where Have You Been?

Chapter 126 – Bring Me to Life

Chapter 127 – Beautiful Day

Chapter 128 – Aphrodite

Chapter 129 – We Are Family

Chapter 130 - Baby Love

Chapter 131 - Love Sex Magic

Chapter 132 – Building a Mystery

Chapter 133 – Three

Chapter 134 – Here Come Cowboys

Chapter 135 - Let My Love Open the Door

Chapter 136 – Here Comes the Sun

Chapter 137 – Fernando

Chapter 138 – The Rose

Chapter 139 – Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In

**Epilogue: Blue World/Planet Earth**

Chapter 140 - Epilogue – Blue World/Planet Earth Reprise

Bonus Chapter - Ending Credits: Grease

* * *

**Story Soundtrack**

**(Updated Periodically)**

**Chapters 2- 4: Prologue: Blue World**

_Blue World_ by The Moody Blues

**Chapter 5: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Mr. Roboto: Introduction of Generals M, Helena and Afrida and Colonel Quinn; VA Project Meeting**

_Mr. Roboto_ by Styx

_Blue Danube Waltz _by Johann Strauss II

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 6: Planet Earth****, Subtitle:Breathe**: AV Weapons Testing; Helena, Afrida & Devo; Nikola Tesla & the Man From Dallas

_Super Freak_ by Rick James

_Do You Really Want to Hurt Me _by Culture Club

_Whip It _by Devo

_Mickey _by Toni Basil

_Breathe_ by Telepopmusik

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 7: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Hurt You**: Helena Learns Clues About Afrida's True Identity

___Hurt You _by The Sounds

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 8: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Father and Daughter: Helena Remembers Her Life-Changing Encounter With the Man From Dallas**

_Father and Daughter _by Paul Simon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 9: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 1: Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn**

_Time to Change_ by The Brady Bunch

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

******Chapter 10: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 2: Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn**

_Time to Change_ by The Brady Bunch

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 11: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 3: An Interlude Between M and Afrida**

_Time to Change_ by The Brady Bunch

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**********Chapter 12: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Time to Change, Part 4: Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn**

_Time to Change_ by The Brady Bunch

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 13: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 1**: A Dangerous Interlude Between Helena and Afrida

_Cradle of Love_ by Billy Idol

_Under Pressure _by Queen and David Bowie

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

******Chapter 14: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 2**: The Goddess of Love Isn't _Always _Dangerous; Kara Wellington

_Fire (Flashover Remix) _by Ferry Corsten ft. Simon Le Bon

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

******Chapter 15: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 3**: General Hobbes Awaits an Assignment; Helena Learns a Secret About Herself

_Blue Danube Waltz_ by Johan Strauss II

Dangerousby Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 16: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 4**: Helena's Past Becomes Her Present

_Sweet Dreams _by Marilyn Manson

_As the Rush Comes (Gabriel & Dresden Sweeping Strings Remix) _by Motorcycle

_Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (Full Version) _by Bela Bartok

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 17: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 5**: Wellington Family Pride

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

******Chapter 18: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 6**: The Birth of Queen Leonine "Astarte" Wellington (Kara)

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 19: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 7**: Arielle (Family is Where You Find It)

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 20: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 8: Sonja Braga and Chelsea Letterman; Helena Remembers the Day She Met Afrida**

_Dangerous _by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 21: Planet Earth, Subtitle: That's What Friends Are For: Tiger Quinn Roams His Own Territory**

_That's What Friends Are For _by Dionne Warwick and Friends (Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight)

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 22: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Right Round: Family Therapy; Tiger Quinn Throws a Party**

_Right Round_ by Flo Rida

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 23: ****Planet Earth****, Subtitle: I Hate Everything About You**: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Goddess Scorned

_I Hate Everything About You _by Three Days Grace

_Planet Earth _by Duran Duran

**Chapter 24: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Tears From the Moon:**

**Chapter 25: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Beautiful Stranger/I Kissed a Girl:**

**Chapter 26: Planet Earth, Subtitle: Beautiful You Are:**

**Chapter 27: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Besame Mucho**:

**Chapter 28: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Goodbye Horses**:

**Chapter 29: Planet Earth, Subtitle: (Don't Fear) The Reaper:**

**Chapter 30: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Science Fiction Double Feature**:

**Chapter 31: Planet Earth****, Subtitle: Absolute Beginners**:


	2. Introduction of Jonathan Fergus

**Author's Note**

This is both my first attempt at fan fiction and the first time I've ever shared my writing publicly. I'm a perfectionist who almost always lets the best be the enemy of the good, so I am the only one who reads what I write. But I fell so in love with this story of Pam and Tara that's in my head. Now I just need to get it all down on paper. This process will make me do that, and I decided to see if anyone else wants to come along with me for the ride.

* * *

**Full Disclosure: ** I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of the Prologue. The Prologue is a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The Prologue, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, the Prologue is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

**I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.**

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Prologue, Part 1: Blue World**

(Introduction of Jonathan Fergus and His Family on Planet Elise)

**Planet Elise, Andromeda: Day 11 in the Year 20,001**

**_Description of a Blue World_**

In a land far, far away on the very eastern edge of the Andromeda Galaxy, a blue world spins slowly on its tilted axis. The planet's blueness stems from its immense aquatic reaches spread forth as lakes, seas, rivers and vast oceans, sparingly interrupted by a few connected, irregular land fragments. This blue planet in Andromeda is almost three times the size of Planet Earth, and it makes its elongated elliptical orbit, along with its three moons, around two suns.

The larger and brighter of the planet's two suns, named Khaga, beams a brilliant orange-yellow and is twice the size of the Earth's sun. Khaga controls the orbit of the blue planet for 580 days of its 1002-day year.

The slightly smaller and dimmer sun, named Arka, emits a calming magenta red and is two-thirds the size of Earth's sun. Arka controls the blue world's orbit for the remaining 422 days of the planet's year.

The blue world's inhabitants named their planet Elise, which means "my God is a vow." A day on Planet Elise, meaning the time it takes the giant blue world to revolve once on its own axis, equals approximately 78 Earth hours.

The length of an Elisian year varies. Elise's orbit around Khaga takes it through a space-time continuum that causes time to slow down significantly for those traveling through it, the effects of which vary depending on complex forces affecting the continuum at any moment. As a result, one Earth year may equal 15,000 Elise years, or 5,000 Elise years, or some other number of Elise years.

Elisians don't fully know about or understand the effects of this space-time continuum. They also cannot relate their planet's year to Earth's year because none (well, almost none) of their inhabitants have ever been to Planet Earth.

Elise is one of 19 planets in its two-sun solar system and the only one with intelligent life. Elise has a rich tapestry of plant and animal life, much of it supposedly transported from Earth more than twenty millennia ago. Like Planet Earth, more than 70% of Elise's surface is covered by water. A greater percentage of Elise's water is fresh, but its salty oceans are still larger than Earth's and hold immense sea creatures, prehistoric in size compared to those on Earth. Elise is more gaseous than Earth, giving the blue planet a slightly greenish hue when seen from a distance in outer space.

Elisians, in all their diversity, look much like people of Planet Earth, except they are generally taller, healthier and much longer lived. In fact, it is said that the ancient ancestors of the people of Elise came from Planet Earth. The average Elisian lives past the age of 1200 years, believed to be due in part to a purer atmosphere and a thick, gassy cloud layer that filters the powerful rays of Khaga and Arka, while also allowing in the suns' nutrient giving light.

But it is also said that Elisians are so long-lived because of their blood, revived by fruit of the blood tree, also known as a _Weeping Tara_, which according to legend was a gift of two beautiful goddesses. This blood fruit transformed the Elisians from humans, which their Earth ancestors were, to something other than human.

Like people of Earth, Elisians long to know their origins. They tell stories about their beginnings, which most regard as sacred truths, but some deride as mere allegories or myths. These myths shape the fabric of everyday Elisian life, interwoven in art, music, and popular expressions, even food.

Elisians have ancient monuments, cave drawings and artifacts depicting the so-called Golden Age, a time when gods and goddesses walked among them, including their two beloved goddesses. These testimonials, grafted into Elise's terrain, are believed to tell the story of the birth of the Elisian people. It is a story of their transformation from Earthling to Elisian, from human to _other than human_.

The story of Elise is also a story of its two beloved goddesses, who are lovingly referred to as the mothers of Elise. The two beloved goddesses are prominently featured in the ancient monuments and artifacts of Elise. The goddesses are lovers, although the story goes that they were mortal enemies at first, determined to kill each other. And then they fell in love. Their love was nurtured and blossomed by Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

One beloved goddess is tall, with a head full of golden curls framing her beautiful face. Depictions of the tall, blonde goddess often emphasize her eyes, using various coloring techniques to create the richest blue hues imaginable. Some ancient artists devoted extensive detail to the flecks in the goddess's eyes. Sometimes these flecks appear as glints of silver, sometimes as hints of green with tiny streaks of metallic cobalt.

It is said that the blonde goddess's eyes changed colors depending on her mood, and the fears of the lucky few who had the chance to gaze into them during the Golden Age were calmed as if floating on a peaceful sea. She had the power to entrance the viewer, holding him or her captive with her gaze, never having to lift a finger. She was typically depicted in stern poses, and often with one hand or the other resting on her hip. But the most special depictions, the ones that hung isolated and shrine-like on well-lit Elisian museum walls, were the rare works that portrayed the blonde goddess smiling.

The blonde goddess smiling was so singular that it was forbidden for works of art bearing her beaming image to be privately owned. It was commanded by government fiat that such works of art must be shared with all citizens. The smiling blonde goddess was loved and admired the world over. She was studied by scholars. Most Elisians had seen every one of the depictions of the grinning goddess. They knew well that only one thing was capable of filling the goddess with such visible joy – her own beloved.

Every known work of Elisian art that depicts the blonde goddess smiling also pictures her with her beloved. The beloved of the blonde goddess was opposite her in appearance, but so like her in mind and spirit. Whereas the blonde was tall, her beloved was much shorter in stature. The blonde's skin was pale, a white alabaster. In stark contrast her lover's skin was rich, smooth and dark, like slightly sweetened chocolate; and sable tresses draped her shoulders. The blonde was thin, while her lover's body was thicker and more muscular. The blonde's eyes were an other-worldly shade of blue, while her lover's eyes were deep, endless pools of midnight on a starless night.

The blonde goddess's name is Pamela, and her lover with the rich, dark, flawless skin is named Tara. In the beginning, the Golden Age, as it is called, Pamela and Tara, and other members of the Sacred Family, walked among the first inhabitants of Elise. These first inhabitants were the ancestors of today's Elisians.

Elise's terrain is dotted with landmarks significant to the Golden Age and the time of the goddesses, but none is more prominent than _Pamela's Valley of Tears,_ often simply called Pamela's Valley. The valley is a sweeping expanse of lush green lowland extending from the base of Elise's tallest mountain range to a tributary some five miles east. Today the valley is festooned with thick blades of grass, leafy trees and an adornment of colorful wild flowers. But 20,000 years ago the valley was a depressing patchwork of desert and sprigly, sunburnt meadow.

Legend has it that Pamela's Valley became lush after being watered by the tears shed therein, by Pamela, Tara and the ancestral witnesses to the great battle of the gods. Bill Compton, an evil vampire, became an evil vampire _god_ after drinking the blood of another vampire god named Lilith. In his quest for dominion over the entire Earth, he waged a war against Pam, Tara and the rest of the Sacred Family. This war started on Earth and stretched across the Milky Way into the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy. It ended here, on Elise, in Pamela's Valley.

On the eastern edge of Pamela's Valley, near a river running north-south, is a gigantic tree called a _Weeping Tara_. Today the _Weeping Tara_ that roots itself in _Pamela's Valley of Tears_ stands well over a thousand feet tall. It is the tallest tree in Elise. But 20,000 years ago this tree was a mere seedling, planted in a shallow hole with plum seeds.

The plum seeds and seedlings from a weeping willow were accidentally mixed together, creating the strange new tree. A witch's coven cast a spell on the tree, making it grow. A second spell was cast on this tree by the magic of two witches named Holly and Sonja during the time of Pamela's quest to find Tara. This second spell made the fruit of the tree grow.

Finally, after the goddesses found each other, a third spell was cast upon the tree by the goddess Aphrodite as a gift in the honor of Pam and Tara. The tree is a celebration of their love, and the beneficiaries of Aphrodite's gift are the people of Elise. It is said that the final spell cast by Aphrodite gave the fruit of the tree the ability to convey health and longevity to those who eat it.

Magic helped the tree to grow 50 feet in its first few weeks of life. What emerged over the next 20,000 years is a beautiful, massive canopy of drooping emerald branches. Nestled in the green tendrils is a plum-like fruit, robust and red, with a dripping fleshy pulp the color of blood.

Just as it is said that the weeping willow droops in sorrow over the death of two lovers, the _Weeping Tara _droops in mourning over the separation of Pam and Tara. The blood fruit is filled with Tara's blood tears, spilled in anguish because her lover could not find her. Pamela, despondent, wept for her as she relived the pain of her human life. Pamela's pain was so great that it brought the entire valley to tears, including the _Weeping Tara_, whose blood tears were the key to Pam and Tara finding each other.

Visitors from all over the world take seeds from the _Weeping Tara_ when they visit the _Valley of Tears. _They plant these seeds in their back yards, city centers and parks. As a consequence, the _Weeping Tara_ is the most prevalent tree in Elise, and its bloody plums are the most eaten fruit. Childhood Elisian dreams are made of summer days spent running across the sumptuous grasslands of Pamela's Valley under the shade of the _Weeping Tara_, laughing and holding a bloody plum fruit, its gory remnants streaming down pliant fingers and sunburnt chins.

The _Valley of Tears_ and the _Weeping Tara_ stand as they have for the past 20,000 years, but their power has waned in recent decades. These were uncertain times for Elise. Factions had developed within the leadership of Elise's ruling world body – the Elisian Ruling Council. The most prominent faction of dissidents wanted a new government, and a new theological framework, one that didn't recycle fanciful stories about mythical vampire goddesses.

This clamoring faction questioned the authority of the divine feminine, instead favoring rule by the divine right of kings, not queens, and superiority based on physical strengths. This wasn't the first time the memory and teachings of the goddesses, the mothers of Elise, had been attacked and threatened. But something felt different, more ominous, about the current wave of discontent.

**_Benedict Saul and His Cadre Prepare for Colloquy_**

Benedict Saul XV straightened his calf-length black robe. He shook a wrinkle from his black slacks, then deliberately brushed a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He was a mere 375 years old, one of the youngest members of Elise's Ruling Council and second in command. No other Counselor had enjoyed such a meteoric rise within the planet's elite governing body.

Benedict had succeeded through ruthless chess moves, and some joked by dying his hair two shades whiter. His face was youthful, but stern. He clipped his curly dark brown hair close to mute the boyishness of his features, but let the white strands at his temples grow just a bit thicker for emphasis. He was well over six feet tall, muscular and lean. His dark brown eyes glinted as he regarded himself in a mirror on the wall.

A small cadre of five similarly clad women and men (two brown-haired men, a tall brunette woman, a red-haired woman, and a blond man), stood around Benedict Saul, some fidgeting, others pacing nervously. One of them, a lanky man with brown hair, stood by an open door peering at another group of men and women as they strolled by.

The lanky man saw that the group of people walking down the hall was being escorted by a uniformed guard. The guard's deep voice filtered into the room where Benedict Saul and his crew gathered. "Here you are, sir. Main Level D."

A snick of the door lock, followed by the sound of the door opening, could be heard, followed by the guard's courteous invitation. "Here you are, Mr. Fergus. You and your family can relax in here, Sir. The Counselors are just starting to arrive."

The brown-haired man closed the door softly, then turned and joined the others in the room as they paced back and forth. He spoke, nervousness evident in his voice, "Jonathan Fergus and his family just arrived. They're down the hall. I think we should call this off. It feels wrong. Not the right time … not the right time, at all."

Benedict glared at the sniveling man's reflection in the mirror. "Eric, stop that! I'm the one who should be nervous. I'm doing the hard part. If this goes wrong it will be my head. Your only job is to be a show of force."

The tall brunette woman with brown eyes and soft features spoke up, "Yes, and after you do this hundreds of thousands of energies will be focused on us. They're going to know we silenced our end of the bond. How else could we have carried this out?"

The blonde man chimed in, "And after taking a minute to ask themselves how we did it, the Council will kill us all dead. We're going to meet the same fate as that old bill on the stage. People will have questions." The others nodded and made grunting noises echoing their agreement.

Benedict was unmoved, answering calmly, "And at that moment I will tell them what they will think. They're used to being told what to think, so it won't be hard. And I am the Penultimate Counselor. I have the authority to be heard."

The blonde man turned to Saul. "It's just going to be that easy, you think?. Take down this country's last living god, and with the people watching … which today will be the entire planet, by the way. And you expect that the people will just accept it."

Saul remained calm, needlessly straightening his sleeves. He turned from the mirror to face his nervous little group. "Never underestimate the power of denial, Jason. Those stupid sheepish billtards are not going to see the death of their last living god. They're going to see what we tell them to see, which is the downfall of a fraud, a slimy old man and his family, who've been living off the government treasury for too long."

The tall, brunette woman and flaxen-haired man stared at Benedict blankly, waiting for something more.

Benedict answered their unspoken questions, "Nora, Jason … the time for this debate is long over. I've made too many promises. People have taken considerable risks because of me, because of us. Fergus has re-emerged from his hiding den, wherever he was. The mood is shifting away from us. Now is the time."

Jason whispered, sounding a bit desperate, "And you think Chief Counselor Jessica is simply going to allow you to conduct a coup in front of every resident of this planet and the entire Council?" He snaked fingers through loose blonde curls and resumed pacing.

Benedict smiled, "I think Chief Counselor Jessica," – Benedict spat out her name – "will be ready to believe in something new when given the right incentive." To emphasize his point, Benedict opened his robe and displayed his weapon, a laser gun already glowing and set to _ready._

Jason and Eric looked alarmed when they saw the gun. Nora and the others looked fretful, but not particularly surprised.

Benedict raised his brows at Jason, "Where the hell do you think this will go once I challenge Elise's beloved historian on the most public of stages? Really?"

Jason didn't say anything, but his face and furrowed brow had the look of someone just beginning to appreciate the gravity of a situation.

The red-haired woman and the other brown-haired man stepped forward now. The red-head raised her hands, trying to calm Benedict. "Ben, we are here with you. I think we're all just asking … we thought this was to be a political debate, under the rules of Council Colloquy."

The other brown-haired man added, "I agree with Jessica. We came prepared to support your protest under the rules of the Colloquy. We didn't sign up for killing anyone."

Benedict snarled at the red-haired woman and the man, who looked mousey and weak, which made him sick. "Well Jessica and Quinn … Then you are bigger fools than I thought you were.

An official Colloquy comes around every, how many, hundreds of years? So your plan, your suggestion, is that we go out there and talk and plead and scream, then wait another several hundred years. For what? In the meantime our entire society languishes and goes broke, enslaved to a fantasy world created by a stupid old man, and more of our babies get names approved by Jonathan Fergus and his idiotic story. Which ingeniously creates a new generation of sycophants to kneel before him. No!"

There was an uncomfortable standoff. Then Benedict said, "I suggest you all go out there, and as the story goes, come ready to fight crime and eradicate evil. You each knew where this could go when you sat around the meeting hall drinking plum wine and talking all kinds of shit. Well now is the time to back up your billing shit. You can either back it up with the old man, or you'll have to do it with me."

Benedict spread his arm toward the door, inviting Nora, Jason, Eric, Jessica and Quinn to go ahead of him. The gesture wasn't so much an invitation as it was an order. The group paused, then proceeded in the face of Benedict Saul's unrelenting glare. They remained unconvinced, but looked hesitant to voice further objections.

**_Jonathan Fergus and his Family Meet the Chief Counselor _**

Jonathan Fergus XVIII - sometimes called Jonathan, sometimes called Fergus - was reputedly more than 1000 years old, over 6'3", with snow-white curly hair. He was clean-shaven and handsome. His chiseled features were slightly wrinkled around the eyes and mouth, but his body looked strong and agile. His light brown eyes contrasted against his caramel brown skin. He stood with six other adults, four men and two women, who paced and fidgeted like the group that surrounded Benedict.

All seven Elisians wore the same black two-piece work suits, standard society issue, with high, round, black collars that hugged their necks. The sleeves extended down their arms into oversized white wrist cuffs. All of them except one woman wore badges on the lapels of their jackets.

The five men and two women had similar body types, the same angular features and light brown/grey eyes. There was a commonality in the lilt of their voices and their confident, long strides when walking around the room. They were clearly related. Either that or they had spent far too much time together.

Jonathan Fergus and his descendants, it is said, are the sole living descendants of a family line that stretches back in time to the first time, the Golden Age, the time when the goddesses walked the planet. His family is important, considered a national treasure, because its members are regarded as a primary source, a living history of the Elisian people.

It is said that Jonathan Fergus I, along with hundreds of other humans, was transported to Planet Elise from Planet Earth by the evil vampire god Bill Compton. The evil vampire intended to create a "new Earth," where he and his hand-picked group of ruling vampires would enjoy an unlimited supply of humans to be used for food, sport and depravity. The new planet Elise was a virgin planet, with an environment that would make the blood of its edible inhabitants pure and rich, a taste that had been lost on Planet Earth due to degradation of the human food supply and pollution.

The story goes that Pamela, Tara and the other members of the Sacred Family waged a war against evil vampire god Bill, and ultimately defeated him. That war began on Planet Earth, but its final act was waged on Planet Elise, on the grasslands of _Pamela's Valley of Tears_. The first group of humans transported to Elise personally witnessed this battle, attesting that it indeed happened. They passed these stories down to their children, and their children's children.

As incredible as it sounds, it is said that these first Elisians literally saw the war take place in front of them and above their heads. They were kept safe by the goddess Aphrodite, who used her powers to transform them into terra firma. She protected them by literally transforming them into the terrain of Pamela's Valley, its rocks, trees, soil and grass. Made safely a part of the Elisian landscape, the aboriginal Elisians watched the battle unfold, and saw Bill Compton defeated.

Over time, family lines died off, until there was one left. That entire remaining family line was standing in a lounging room on Main Level D of the Elisian Council's grand meeting hall. Fergus and his family turned in unison upon hearing the clack of the door latch.

A tall ivory skinned woman wearing the same calf-length robe as Benedict and his cadre entered. The woman's eyes were pale blue, made the more striking by her shock of red hair. The white strands streaking through her red tresses indicated that she was at least 600 years old.

Jonathan stepped to the woman and hugged her tight, "Chief Counselor, Jessica, sister, so good to see you."

"And you, Jonathan, brother. I see the guard showed you to the right place. Your special room." Jessica's eyes left Jonathan and scanned the other adults in the room.

All except for one, a woman, returned Counselor Jessica's gaze with a nod and a smile. "Your family? Please reintroduce me. It's been so long."

Jonathan assented to the request. He gestured to an attractive woman, about the same age as Jessica. She was tan with light golden brown, shoulder-length hair and an hour-glass figure visible even through her sober black work suit. Accompanying her was a slightly taller man, handsome, with white blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "This is my daughter Pamela and her beloved Eric, surname Jackson." At this, Jessica laughed.

Pamela spoke, understanding Jessica's amusement, "I know. It was love at first sight, but the deal was sealed when I discovered his name."

Pamela pulled a handsome younger man to her side. He was tan like his mother, with greenish-gray eyes. He had tawny hair, like his father. "This is our son, CJ."

Jessica took both CJ's hands and smiled at him, warmly. "What a wonderful nickname fate has given you. How old?"

CJ replied warmly, "Almost 200."

Jonathan took Jessica's arm and led her to the rest of his family, who stood just two feet away. "This is my son Godric. And his beloved, also named Eric." Godric was tall, but short among a tall people at six feet even. He had a muscular body, caramel skin like his father, strong handsome features, dark brown hair and soulful grey eyes.

Godric's Eric looked nothing like Pamela's Eric. His skin was a flawless dark brown chocolate. He had a chiseled body like Godric, but he was taller and lankier. Godric's Eric was just over 6'4", with broad shoulders. His eyes were brown. His hair was thick, black and curly.

Upon hearing the second Eric's name, Jessica lost a bit of her gravitas in a laugh that was rich and full. "Your family truly is blessed by the goddesses."

"I am so thankful." Jonathan then pointed to the only adult not smiling, "And this is Godric and Eric's daughter, Tara."

Jessica regarded Tara and quirked a brow, "May I ask … how? Cloning procedure?"

Jonathan interjected, rapidly shaking his head, "No, no, no. The family line for us was too important. There needed to be a sharing of blood."

Pamela looked at Jessica and replied with a wry smile, "Let's just say I've had the privilege of sharing my genetic blessings with two Erics. I'm a very lucky woman." Godric and the two Erics blushed. CJ looked at the wall, embarrassed.

Tara rolled her eyes, which caught Jessica's attention. "You aren't in awe of this occasion, child?"

Tara was the perfect mixture of her father Eric and her aunt and surrogate mother, Pamela. She was almost six feet tall, with rich, dark caramel-brown skin, a remnant of her father's darker brown skin. Her hair was dark brown, but lightened by streaks of brownish-blonde from her mother. Her eyes were light grey and piercing.

The words _striking _and _beautiful _would first come to a stranger's mind when regarding Tara, but for anyone who knew her personally, Tara's brash disposition overshadowed her beauty. She hadn't so much as hinted at a smile since Jessica entered the room.

Tara's brow furrowed as she shot back calmly, "First, I'm more than 100 years old. I'm not a child. And no, I'm not in awe of you and your cronies using my grandfather for your political ambitions."

Pamela and Eric, Tara's father, chimed in at the same time, "Tara!"

Jessica put up and hand, "No need. She has the passionate disposition of the goddess for whom she is named."

This solicited another eye roll from Tara.

Jessica locked eyes with Tara, "You're right, Tara. I am hoping that your grandfather's address to the Ruling Council, and the world, will help still the political unrest that's been brewing. But I am not blinded by ambition."

"No, it's worse. You're blinded by true belief. You …" Tara stopped herself from going further. She didn't mean to be disrespectful, but she did mean to make her point.

Tara had long believed that her grandfather was delusional. He had long lived in a world entirely of his own creation, but very real in his own mind. It amazed Tara that the Elisian government supported him and her family, apparently going back generations. This support, in Tara's opinion, did more harm than good, because it allowed her Papa to indulge his fantasies.

Tara had long sensed the swaying of public opinion. It was happening when she was born, and as soon as she was old enough to understand she saw that there were growing numbers of people who resented her grandfather. She also saw that an entire way of life, at least for some, depended on the veracity of her grandfather's stories. Some of those people who depended so much were political leaders, like Jessica.

Maybe if her parents, aunt and uncle, even CJ, would back her up, Tara could protect her grandfather. They, however, made it clear that she was alone. Tara didn't have a problem with standing alone, even against the Chief Counselor herself.

Counselor Jessica wasn't offended. She smiled affectionately at Tara, giving her a look of knowing sympathy. For some reason, this pissed Tara off more than if Jessica had gotten angry. Jessica proceeded, ignoring Tara's glare, "Yes, Tara, I do believe. Just like your grandfather, and the rest of your family, I presume."

She continued when the rest of the family nodded. "Your family, your grandfather, is a national treasure. You … he … has preserved our history for this and future generations. We have enjoyed millennia of peace, prosperity and divine gifts because of the goddesses. We know from whence our blessings come because of your grandfather's dedication to sharing the goddesses' story."

"And what good is this national treasure if no one wants it? What if they want to shoot the messenger, literally? It's casting pearls before swine." Tara gave her grandfather and Counselor Jessica a hard glare and folded her arms.

Jessica had appeared confident until Tara's last retort. Her brow showed worry as she looked intently at Jonathan. "Your grandchild is right, Fergus. I cannot promise how the people will respond. I cannot even promise your safety."

Jonathan was serene, "I never asked you for such a promise."

Tara dripped with sarcasm, "He'll pray to the goddesses."

Jonathan eyed Tara as he spoke to Jessica, "My goddess is my vow. I made a vow to proclaim the story of our people, to never let Pamela and Tara's name die on this planet. I'm here today because of them. They are my mothers." Jonathan paused for a moment, in thought. A slight, whimsical smile graced his face. He said, "They are mothers to us all. And I intend to honor my vow."

Tara interjected, "The whole world knows this story, Papa. We learn it in school. We hear it at church. The government opens sessions with it. Restaurants name dishes after it. The people are bored . . . restless . . . and they don't want to hear it anymore."

Tara stopped and scowled when CJ nudged her, a bit too hard.

"I am not blind, Tara." Jonathan came close and placed his hands on his grandchild's shoulders. "I know what is being said by some about me and the Sacred Family. But the main problem is that this generation has lost Pamela and Tara's story. They may be able to recite a summary of it, but they don't _know_ it. It doesn't run through their veins like the blood of life. But today it will."

Jessica couldn't hide her surprise and excitement, "Jonathan, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Jonathan smiled, "Yes. I've been a recluse for most of the past millennium, off working on Satellite Draco. I've allowed an entire generation to go centuries without hearing a full telling of Pam and Tara's story. My family has heard it, but the world hasn't."

Tara rolled her eyes. She'd obviously spent years perfecting the act. "And you think these fools are gonna let you spend days telling this story?"

"I hope they will, but it is not the point if they don't." At this, Tara threw up her hands and walked to the other side of the room.

Jonathan continued, "And Draco has given us more than we anticipated, which I will reveal, as well."

Satellite Draco was the thing that pushed many people off the fence and over to the other side, made them listen more closely to the dissidents. Jonathan had insisted that due to planetary alignments that happened only every few thousand years, a doorway was opening between the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy. This doorway would allow travel from Planet Elise to Planet Earth.

Jonathan petitioned the Elisian Council to authorize funding for building a satellite that could withstand the trip from Planet Elise to Planet Earth. After heart-wrenching debate, which created deep rifts that still remained hundreds of years later, the Council approved the satellite. It cost more than $800 million Elisian dollars, and countless government personnel to build and launch it.

The satellite was supposedly built to be an exact replica of the original Satellite Draco that had transported the goddess Pamela and her family from Earth to Elise to find goddess Tara. The problem was that the only person who knew those original specifications was Jonathan Fergus, who claimed to have received the information directly from the goddesses and the Sacred Family.

It was one thing for the government to pay the living expenses of an old man and his six family members, allowing them to travel the world visiting churches, schools and museums to tell people a cute myth. That was lavish enough, but it was quite another matter to divert funds that were needed for municipal projects, social welfare and other government needs for the sake of one man's fantasy.

Jessica was one of the Council members who had supported the launch of Satellite Draco, although she had expressed her doubts to Jonathan privately. But publicly, she was one of his strongest defenders. She therefore had a lot riding on Draco's success, and Jonathan's continued gravitas. She very much wanted ... needed Draco to find evidence to support the Sacred Story. Even proof of the existence of Planet Earth would solidify Jonathan Fergus's accounts in a majority of minds.

Jessica interest piqued at Jonathan's mention of something positive about the satellite. "A surprise with Draco? What is it? What has Draco found?"

Jonathan smiled, but shook his head, "No, my sister. I want you to find out with the rest of the world. I want to look down from the stage and see your face light up as you listen. Maybe it's the child in me, but I'm not telling you anything. You'll have to wait."

Jessica smiled. She thought about pushing for more information, but she knew Jonathan well enough to know it wouldn't do any good. She headed for the door. "Very well. I'll see you out there." And to Tara, "You should be proud of your grandfather. Extremely proud. I hope by the end of this Colloquy you come to see that."

Tara pursed her lips and didn't say anything. As soon as Counselor Jessica closed the door, CJ charged at Tara and pulled her slightly off her feet by the collar. Pamela, Godric and both Erics rushed to pull CJ away from his cousin. Pamela screamed, "CJ, put her down!"

"Get off me!" Tara screamed. "You're all insane!"

In the scuffle to pull CJ away from Tara's throat, her jacket was yanked open. Tucked in her waistband was a laser gun. It was glowing and set to _ready. _

Brown-skinned Eric grabbed his daughter's arm, "Tara, what the hell are you doing?"

"If Papa insists on going through with this foolishness, somebody has to protect him. Obviously, no one else in this family cares!" Tara squared off against her family.

Jonathan pushed past everyone and pulled Tara to him, "You think I'm too weak to take care of myself?"

Tara's tone softened, "Papa, I just … Why can't you sit at home in your rocking chair and tell this story? Not in front of people who want to hurt you, maybe worse."

Jonathan, doing his best Tara impression, rolled his eyes. "First, I don't own a rocking chair. And now you think I'm senile, is that it?" Then Jonathan turned somber, "Not even my own grandchild believes?"

For the first time Tara became unsure, seeing the hurt in her Papa's eyes. "Papa… Papa, I've listened to your stories about Pamela and Tara . . . the whole Sacred Family . . . for more than 120 years, since I was a small child.

You've been walking around for the past eighty years saying you're taking us _home _to Earth, another planet in another galaxy. You've spent hundreds of years of your life and most of our family's money, and now a lot of the government's money, building a satellite that's going to get lost in space. Most people don't even believe that Satellite Draco exists. They think this is all an elaborate hoax. And you talk about Pam and Tara like you've met them personally. What am I supposed to think?"

"And what do you believe, Tara?" Jonathan asked.

Tara paused, but she felt her Papa needed to hear the truth from someone who loved him. "I try to believe. I've tried all my life. But I don't, Papa. I just don't."

Jonathan looked visibly hurt, and Tara fought to ignore it. She needed to protect her grandfather, and he was obviously too sick in the head to protect himself. Tara could feel the glares of her family drilling into her back. She willed herself not to look at them. She didn't want to see her Aunt Pamela and Uncle Eric, or her fathers' disappointment and shame, or CJ's threats to do her even greater bodily harm.

Tara was so distracted that she didn't see Jonathan rush at her. Before she could react her grandfather held her tightly by the jaw, his eyes boring into hers. He pulled the weapon from her waistband. "You're an adult, Tara. You're free to believe what you will. As will I, and you will respect me.

You don't have to like it, but you will respect my choices. I made a vow you never witnessed, although I hope one day you will understand why I made it. You will not use this weapon, or any other weapon you may be hiding on your person, or in any orifice." CJ snickered.

Jonathan continued, keeping his grip on Tara's chin, "Swear on the goddess for whom you are named. Swear on Tara's blood."

Tara resisted, focusing her eyes on a spot on the ceiling. Jonathan pressed, squeezing Tara's chin just a bit more, "Swear."

Tara tried to pull away from her grandfather, but he was surprisingly strong. He didn't even appear to be putting much effort into the hold. He eyed her intently.

Tara, reluctantly, growled out between clenched teeth, "I… I swear on the blood of the goddess. I swear on Tara's blood."

Jonathan didn't release his hold on Tara's chin. Tara diverted her eyes from focusing on the ceiling back to her grandfather, or what she could see of him with her head bent at a slightly uncomfortable angle. She looked confused. _Why the bill isn't he letting me go?_

Jonathan's gaze was steady and piercing as he spoke, "My youngest grandchild is so petulant, and shrewd. I named you well. You feign reluctance to swear on Goddess Tara's blood, but I know your vow means nothing because you don't believe. What's a goddess to a nonbeliever? Nothing."

They stayed locked like this for seconds that seemed endless. Everyone else in the room fretted, but stayed still. Jonathan smiled slyly, "Swear on your fathers' blood."

Tara's eyes widened in shock. "Papa, no."

"Swear!"

Tara's eyes welled with tears. Jonathan held firm to her jaw. In her peripheral vision, Tara saw her family inch closer, surrounding the two of them. Her fathers, Pamela and her Uncle Eric looked pained, but no one moved to help her.

Finally Tara relented, "I swear on my fathers' blood." Jonathan immediately let her go. Tara's body started to shake as she struggled to hold in tears that threatened to flow down her cheeks. She didn't resist the pull of her fathers as they drew her into their arms. Even CJ looked a little sad to see the fight go out of Tara.

Jonathan looked for a long moment at his distraught grandchild, sadness in his eyes. He shook it off and turned to the door. "It's time."

Tara pulled away from Godric and Eric. She sped to Jonathan and gripped his arm. She wasn't fighting anymore, but pleading, "Papa, no. Please. Don't go out there. There is nothing living in that direction."

Jonathan placed his hand on Tara's jaw once again, this time caressing it softly. "Yes, my youngest baby. Yes, there is. Out there, I am going to make Pamela and Tara's story come alive. Now is the time to show everyone the images from Satellite Draco.

It is time to tell the whole world Pamela and Tara's story. And believe or not, I even have some things you and the rest of my family haven't seen. I worked so hard to keep them to myself because … I wanted to give you all the gift of wonder. And I couldn't give you that if I told you everything."

Jonathan thought for a moment, as if he was remembering something. He slipped a hand inside his jacket, fishing in his pocket. He pulled out a badge. "You forgot this, perhaps intentionally. I want you to wear this today, like all of us. I am asking you to wear it."

Tara was about to protest, but what was the point? She stood and allowed her grandfather to pin a sheriff's badge on her jacket lapel. She now sported the same shiny silver accessory as everyone else in her family.

"As Colonel Quinn would say, how else will you fight crime and eradicate evil? You need a badge." Jonathan smiled. Tara was not happy. Over the years she had done a lot more talking with her Papa about fighting crime and eradicating evil than actually fighting crime and eradicating evil.

"Be thankful he left the cowboy hats at home," CJ said, smiling and nudging Tara, gently this time, trying to cheer her up.

Tara's lips curled into a tiny smile.

Jonathan turned again toward the door, resolved this time to go into the main chamber. Tara grabbed him again and pulled harder, pleading with everything she had one last time, "They're planning to kill you, Papa. Do you know that?" Her voice elevated, "You're going to die to tell a billing story. No amount of wonder is worth that!"

Tara knew she had overstepped when her grandfather, whose features were always serene, scowled, "No need to be vulgar, little one."

Then Jonathan smiled, a wide and mischievous grin, becoming again the gregarious Papa Tara knew and loved so much. He winked as he softly admonished, "And don't be so fast to decide the worth of wonder, my little treasure. It is, in fact, priceless. Besides … Pamela and Tara … their story … it's a very, very good story."

_Heart and soul took control_

_Took control of me_

_Paid my dues spread the news_

_Hands across the sea_

_Put me down turned me round_

_Turned me round to see_

_Marble halls open doors_

_Someone found the key_

_And it's only what you do_

_That keeps coming back on you_

_And it's only what you say_

_That can give yourself away_

_It's a blue world_

_It takes somebody to help somebody_

_Oh, it's a blue world_

_It's a new world_

_It needs somebody to love somebody_

_Oh, it's a blue world_

**Song: Blue World by ****_The Moody Blues_**

**Author's Notes: **

(1) You can find the song for this chapter by doing the following Youtube search: **_blue world moody blues jackie. _**Click on the first link, which should be posted by Jackie Blue.

(2) Elise's two suns, Arka and Khaga, are named after two of the twelve aspects of God in Indian musical chakras.

(3) The first spoken words in this story are "Here you are, sir. Main Level D." These also are the same first words spoken in Stanley Kubrick's _2001: A Space Odyssey_.

(4) Benedict Saul says, "Never underestimate the power of denial." This is a quote from the movie _American Beauty_. It is said by the character of Ricky Fitts.

(5) Tara says, "There's nothing living in that direction." This is a quote from _War of the Worlds_. It is said by the character of Ray Ferrier.

(6) Fergus says, "What's a goddess to a non-believer." This is a paraphrased quote from Kanye West & Jay Z (ft. Frank Ocean)'s _No Church in the Wild_, except that they refer to a god and not a goddess.

(7) It's not a typo. This society uses the name "bill" as a curse word.


	3. Fergus Deals With Benedict Saul

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much to everyone for your interest in this story.

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of the Prologue. The Prologue is a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The Prologue, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, the Prologue is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

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**I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.**

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Prologue, Part 2: Blue World**

(Jonathan Fergus Deals With Benedict Saul)

**Planet Elise, Andromeda: Day 11 in the Year 20,001**

_**The Colloquy Convenes**_

Today, on the 11th day of Year 20,001, the people of Elise were gathering to participate in a Colloquy, a group discussion on a matter of supreme importance to the Elisian people. Nearly every single member of Elise's population of approximately 900,000 people – men, women, children - had gathered in colossal amphitheaters around the world to witness the Colloquy of the Council, the 500 member ruling body of their planet.

Giant concave screens projected real time 4D images of the Ruling Council as its members entered the main hall. The telecast beamed to audience members around the world. Council Colloquies of this magnitude were extremely rare events, happening for most Elisians only once in a lifetime. The last such Colloquy was convened in 17,832 to discuss a possible threat by intelligent life from the Triangulum Galaxy, a fear eventually proven to be unfounded.

Members of the Council, dressed in austere, ornate black robes, gathered in tiered seats in a vast circular meeting hall. They were varying skin tones, eye and hair colors, and heights, though all were slender and tall by Earth standards. They varied in age, as well; but most had at least some white hair. And approximately 70% of them were women.

The seating areas and trim on the walls of the Council meeting hall were made of pure mahogany wood. The rest of the hall, including its numerous vast columns spanning floor to ceiling, was made of hand-hewn marble. Crystal clear expanses of glass made up large portions of the ceiling, allowing the sun's light to wash over the room. The meeting hall was grand on its own, but today its walls were draped in wispy layers of brilliant silk curtains in primary colors, which emphasized the grandeur of the occasion.

The part of the meeting hall ceiling that wasn't made of glass was comprised of elaborate, irregularly shaped wooden beams adorned with droopy emerald leaves. It wasn't until the viewer followed the beams' trail down from the ceiling that he or she realized the wooden beams weren't beams at all, but branches. The branches all flowed downward from the ceiling into an expansive trunk of a _Weeping Tara _tree, its roots submerged beneath the marble floor. A large circle of exposed dirt surrounded the base of the tree.

The _Weeping Tara_ was about thirty feet tall, its branches pressing against the ceiling. Thick metal sheathing trained the branches toward holes in the sides of the building and outside. One could look out of any window in the meeting hall and see the branches extend outside and up well beyond the roofline of the building. The trees lush green tresses bathed in the sunlight, glints of which flickered off baseball sized plum fruit. Little rivulets of blood-red juice flowed from the tree's body. Some council members stopped to place tiny glasses against the bark to capture the nectar, then sipped.

The tiered Council hall seats circled a tiny center stage, on which sat three swivel chairs. The chairs looked folksy and out-of-place in the majestic surroundings of the meeting hall. In those three chairs sat Jonathan Fergus, and to his left Tara, then CJ. The other four members of the Fergus family stood in what looked like an orchestra pit in front of the stage. They were only visible from the chest up. Surrounded by the 500 Council members, Jonathan, CJ and Tara looked small on the stage, but they sat straight and tall, as if they knew they were much, much larger.

Tara had dried her tears and mimicked the austerity of her grandfather and CJ. She sat straight up confidently next to her grandfather, but she scanned the audience nervously. Jonathan calmed her with a soft, warm hand that briefly drew random circles around her shoulder and upper back. Just as Tara started to relax a bit, she saw Benedict Saul and a line of others take their seats directly in front of the stage.

Tara's eyes met Benedict's. She set her face in a harsh stare and maintained eye contact, even when Benedict smiled a feral grin in her direction. The two of them stayed eye locked like this, as Council members filled the hall. Tara unconsciously reached for her waistband, for the comfort of her gun, then realized that her Papa had taken it from her.

_**Benedict Saul, Aptly Named, Attempts a Coup D'état**_

Counselor Lafayette, his dark brown eyes glinting, took a seat. He leaned over and whispered to the woman in the neighboring chair, Counselor Afrida, "There's gonna be some shit today. I know it. That hookah Benedict got his bill caught in his zipper. He gonna start screaming about it real soon."

Counselor Afrida laughed, "I thought you might rush to help him with that problem. You do love bills, don't you?"

Counselor Lafayette pursed his lips, "Hookah please. I ain't hardly that desperate."

Counselor Afrida looked amused but bored, "Did your parents know this is what you would become when they named you, or are you just trying to be a good namesake?"

"Bitch, I'm a Lafayette 'cause my Mama saw way too much fire in my black ass for me to be a Colin. And way too much intelligence for me to be a Jason."

"Point taken. You've got too much of something, that's for billing sure," Afrida chuckled so hard her blonde curls danced and her blue eyes twinkled.

"Well, you ain't livin' up to your name at all, bitch. _You_ supposed to be the goddess of love, so show me some fuckin' love," Lafayette raised an almond brown hand, pressing his thumb and pointing finger together.

Afrida sighed, "I think saving your ass constantly counts as showin' you some love." She sat up when she saw Jessica, the Chief Counselor, arrive and sit in front of the stage. Jessica and her entourage took the row in front of Benedict.

Jessica captured everyone's attention by gently tapping her fingers on the mahogany tabletop. She clipped on a tiny microphone that amplified her voice in such a way that she sounded as if she was sitting right next to each attendee, even those who sat on the far opposite end of the circular seating area.

The older woman intoned in a soothing alto, "Good morning, everyone. Thank you to the Sacred Family whose stars shine on us from the heavens for our many gifts, including the gift of this gathering. I give special thanks to the goddesses Pamela and Tara. Their love gave birth to all of us. And through the gift of their bond, I know you all."

Benedict rolled his eyes.

The audience in the room, and in rooms around the blue world, released a brief low hum in acknowledgement, as Jessica smiled and continued, "And you all know me." Everyone uttered another collective hum. The unanimity of the hum from so many people at the same time reverberated. Its sum was so much greater than its parts that it created the illusion that the blue planet itself had uttered the sound.

Jessica continued, "We have entered a new millennium. Jonathan Fergus and his family, anticipating the auspicious alignment of the heavens at this time, launched Satellite Draco in the year 19,562. Yet all of us, the entire world, are on the verge of receiving the fruits of their patience and love. It is like the gifts of the _Weeping Tara."_

Jessica spoke above appreciative murmurs from the audience, "Let me first say that the rumors you've been hearing are true. Draco has found a doorway and traveled through to the other side. Our little explorer has traversed thousands of light years in a matter of minutes, and now resides in our neighboring galaxy."

A collective outburst followed by frantic whispering echoed from the audience, both in the Council meeting hall and around the world.

Counselor Jessica paused to let her words sink in before continuing, "Our oral histories, the lifeblood of our people, have always told us that this doorway existed, opening only at certain times to connect our own galaxy with our neighboring galaxy, The Milky Way. We now have the first concrete affirmation … the first proof, of what we have always on faith believed to be true."

Upon hearing these words, Tara's face hardened as she surveyed the room. She watched Benedict carefully. She had friends, good friends on the Council. Some of them loved her grandfather very much, and some of those same counselors hated Benedict Saul. They had given her warnings, not outright and plainly stated, but enough for her to believe Saul was planning to hurt Fergus. She was expecting the worst.

Tara's family in the orchestra pit also surveyed the crowd. Jonathan seemed off in his head in a kind of reverie. Tara thought he might be praying, which only made her more frightened and edgy.

Counselor Jessica looked a bit uncomfortable, but pushed her words past the lump in her throat and continued, "The sacred bond allows very few secrets among us. So I feel it wise to acknowledge openly that in the latter years of this millennium there have been some among us …," she paused, "including myself, who have been skeptics."

The monitors in the meeting hall moved through different images of audiences around the world, whispering frantically, then eventually quieting down.

Jessica brushed a strand of reddish-white hair away from her face. "The Sacred Family is a part of us all. It is why we celebrate the festival of Pamela's confession in the _Valley of Tears._ It is why our sacred tree is the _Weeping Tara_. It is why so many of us are named Pamela, Tara, Eric, Lafayette, even Sookie."

A collective laugh echoed upon hearing Sookie's name, as Jessica continued, "It is the reason that I, like almost every red-haired girl on Elise, is named Jessica." The Counselor smiled to herself at the thought.

Jessica maintained her smile as she gazed at Jonathan. Then her smile disappeared and her tone turned serious. "As the Chief Counselor, I want to apologize … before the whole world … for my own doubt. I was wrong, so very wrong. I believed at the time that I was doing what was best for all of you. I am grateful that Mr. Fergus and his family remained steadfast …"

Suddenly, Benedict Saul stood and interrupted Jessica, "Steadfast indeed. This family has remained quite steadfast in seeking adoration for themselves while dangers from abroad descend upon us."

Benedict had sensed through the collective bond the growing elation coming from the audience as they listened to the news about Satellite Draco and took in Jessica's intonations. He knew he had to speak soon in opposition or risk the momentum becoming too strong in favor of Fergus to turn things around.

Jessica turned to face Counselor Benedict. She was offended but not surprised. Lafayette, hand in the air, rubbed his fingers against each other and leaned into Afrida, "Jessica told us he was gonna pull this shit. Bitch, be ready."

Afrida opened her robe and rested a hand on a laser gun. It was glowing and set to _ready._

Jessica stood and projected her voice, "Ben, you speak out of turn."

"No, you speak in an attempt to turn me away. But I speak for the people of Elise, and I refuse to be turned," Benedict spoke for effect as if he were delivering a Shakespearean monologue. His eyes surveyed the crowd. He saw some wariness, but lots of thoughtful listeners. He saw Lafayette and Afrida and nodded slightly in their direction. His cadre caught the hint and focused on them.

"Shit," Lafayette whispered. Afrida ignored Lafayette and unflinchingly met the stares of Jason, Nora, Eric, Jessica and Quinn, who were sitting next to Benedict Saul. She kept her hand steady on the gun hidden against her side.

Benedict continued. His chair was one tier higher than Jessica's, making him tower over her. "It is time we did more than sit around telling stories about mythical goddesses, from a supposed sister planet that doesn't exist. We have real problems to deal with."

Jessica interrupted, "Draco has …"

Benedict finished, "Traveled to a neighboring galaxy. Yes. Where it will float aimlessly until it is destroyed by a meteor or crashes into some nameless dead planet. That, of course, assumes that this satellite even exists."

The meeting hall, and the entire world, fell deafeningly silent. Unrest had previously been whispered. Doubts about the goddesses had been spoken of in coded language and low rumblings. But this was the first time that anyone had ever publicly challenged the story of the Sacred Family, or Jonathan Fergus. And this challenger wasn't just anyone, but the second in command of the Ruling Council.

Most Elisians were not nonbelievers per se. More than anything they were just … bored. There was an abundance of peace and prosperity. But some wondered whether war and famine would be interesting, if for no other reason than to break the monotony. Maybe there was something better, but no one had dared test that theory. Now Benedict was testing it, demanding, essentially, that Fergus defend his position.

Jessica tried a move she knew would fail, "Ben, I am the Chief Counselor. Sit. Down."

Benedict smiled, "You are Chief Counselor in name only, Jessica. This entire 500 member, so-called ruling body is a colossal joke. It rules nothing. In reality, we have a single unelected ruler named Jonathan Fergus. His progeny are the equivalent of a royal family. I respectfully resist."

Tara stood to speak. Jonathan stood and rested an arm on her shoulder, silencing her. Jason and Nora sat beside Benedict, unsure whether they wanted to be associated with him. The tension in the room was thick and pungent. Jason jerked away his microphone and whispered frantically, "He has his grandchildren up there."

Nora removed her mic, "Too late to abort. Benedict just threw down the gauntlet."

"Billing hell. Fuck this." Jason rose to leave, when Benedict turned to him and glared. Saul's eyes blazed, and seconds passed. Jason reluctantly sat back down.

Jonathan saw the exchange between Benedict and Jason, and took the opportunity to stilt Saul's momentum, "I'm sorry, sir. You have launched considerable accusations against me and my family. May I at least know your name?"

"Benedict," Saul resisted spitting out his own name, flustered and angry that Jason had distracted him, and trying hard not to show it. _That stupid fuck was named well, _Saul thought to himself.

Jonathan knew Benedict's name, but pretended surprise. "Benedict? A secular name? Your family isn't religious. They deny the divine?"

Saul retorted, "My family is comprised of free thinkers. They gave me a name of freedom, not enslavement to a myth."

Many in the audience bristled at the disrespect. Even those who wanted a good show were uncomfortable with Saul's treatment of Jonathan Fergus, especially given Fergus' stature and age, and the deeply ingrained societal respect for elders.

Jonathan continued, seemingly unnerved, "And your schooling? Church?"

CJ moved closer to Tara, pressing his body into her side. Tara's heart was racing. She looked down at her family in the orchestra pit. They had been so confident earlier, but she could see the fear in their eyes. Even CJ looked like he was trying to contain abject panic. Tara's Papa, however, looked unfazed.

Benedict's mouth twisted into a sinister grin, "My schooling was decidedly secular, like my name. Church? No."

To Tara's amazement, her grandfather smiled at Benedict Saul like he was unwitting prey. That smile said _I've got you. _She had always thought of her Papa as a sweet, loving but slightly loopy old man. But in this moment he looked fierce and firmly in control. She had always scoffed at religion, but now she found herself praying to the goddesses that her grandfather wasn't faking and had a plan.

"So you know nothing of the Upanishads? Buddhism? Judaism? Confucianism? Christianity? Theologies of Earth's Ancient Near East that shape our own story of the Sacred Family? Isis and Osiris?" Jonathan fired the questions rapidly, as if delivering a scholarly presentation.

"I know them in passing. But spending my time committing to memory more stories from your demented mind? No, I reject them intentionally."

Benedict loosened his robe. The action did not escape Jonathan or Tara. Or Counselors Lafayette and Afrida, who slowly gripped her gun and removed it from its resting place. Lafayette did the same with his gun.

_Thank the goddesses we came prepared_, Afrida thought. Counselor Jessica had suspected something might happen and asked Counselors Lafayette and Afrida, who she trusted very much, to come to the Colloquy armed.

Afrida's eyes trained back and forth between Saul, and the five members of his entourage sitting next to him. She figured she and Lafayette could dispatch them in less than twenty seconds, but the crowd made her nervous. She hated uncontrolled situations, and this was most definitely an uncontrolled situation that could turn harrowing in a split second. She surveyed the room and glanced quickly behind her. _What if there are others we don't know about? _Afrida pushed the thought out of her mind. What could she do about that unknown, anyway?

Jonathan laced his fingers in front of his body. Tara watched Saul, but then caught sight of her grandfather's hands. Suddenly, she was transfixed. Tara thought she saw a low glow emanating from her Papa's hands, as if he was holding a ball of light. She stared expecting the trick of light to disappear, but it didn't. If anything, that little ball of light grew brighter. Tara couldn't conceive of any logical explanation for this optical illusion, and figured her mind was playing tricks on her due to her state of sheer panic.

"Too bad, really." Jonathan sounded almost sad. "The wise man Solomon, who apparently you know nothing about, wrote something most appropriate for this occasion in an ancient Earth book called Ecclesiastes."

"Oh really?" Benedict asked as he drew out his laser gun and pointed it straight at Jonathan. The audience, both live and around the world, erupted. Jonathan, however, stood unflinching in the face of the weapon. "I'm more interested in you explaining how you have so many people convinced that your every word is true."

Jonathan answered calmly, smiling with an effusive grin, "I think I must have one of those faces you can't help believing."

Benedict scowled, but his voice was a calm tenor. "Well, _I_ don't believe you. You have been committing treason, a crime punishable by death. It's time for you to confess that you are a liar and a charlatan. Put the people of Elise out of their miserable stupor."

The audience in the meeting hall screamed and ducked to the floor. Around the world, viewers sat aghast, unable to believe what they were seeing on their screens.

Saul waved the gun at Fergus. "I want that case. I … I want it now."

Jonathan casually reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flat black case. It measured about 6 inches by 6 inches. He asked, "You mean this case?"

"Yes, give it to me," Saul said, waving the gun, agitated now.

Jonathan calmly replied, "Saul, I want to work with you. I'm going through a transitional period, right now. And I don't want to kill you. But I can't give you this case. It doesn't belong to me. It's not mine to just do what I want with it."

Saul couldn't believe his ears. "You stupid idiot. You do realize I am the one with the gun. You do realize it is me _trying not_ to kill you."

Jonathan Fergus calmly returned the black case to the breast pocket in his coat. "I've fought alongside goddesses. Do you really think you can scare me?"

Benedict Saul stared blankly. Words failed him. The old man was truly crazy.

Lafayette was squeezing the trigger. Afrida put her hand on his arm to stop him. She whispered sternly, "Wait. Wait. The difference in being a hero and a criminal facing the death penalty for killing a Counselor is defined by patience. Let him strike first."

Lafayette objected, "He strikes first and its gonna be too late, bitch."

Afrida kept her hand on Lafayette's arm, "No. You're a good shot. Watch his breathing and wait for the moment. Fuck it, Lafayette. I've got him. You take the others."

Saul's heart was racing. His palms were sweaty. He had imagined this day for more years of his life than he could count. He didn't know what it would feel like, or how the moment would come about. In his mind he had always skipped ahead to the part where he was pointing the laser gun at Fergus.

In his fantasy he had envisioned Fergus sniveling and begging for mercy before the world as he confessed that he had been a fraud all along. Saul would kill him for his treason, quickly and mercifully, of course. Then he would dethrone Jessica and take over as Chief Counselor. And he wanted that fucking case.

Saul had crafted every scenario. He had planned for everything, except a game plan for the old man squaring off against him, tall and confident, seemingly ready to take a hard shot of deadly pulsing light to the chest. Fergus didn't look weak, and he was not even close to sniveling or confessing anything. But it was too late to say _just kidding_. Saul would look like a fool and be imprisoned if he backed down now.

Jonathan was speaking. His voice pushing into Saul's mind, dispersing the haze of panic enough to be heard, "… a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace."

Afrida asked Lafayette, "What the hell is he talking about?"

Lafayette replied, "He's talking about life. How every kind of experience in life, good and bad, has its time and place. How everything that we go through is all a natural part of life."

Afrida looked surprised. "Where did you learn that?"

Lafayette regarded her with a touch of attitude. "What, bitch? You think I'm just a pretty face. I learned it at goddess school."

"_You_ went to goddess school?" Afrida teased, still watching Saul intently. Lafayette tilted his head and pursed his lips. _What you think, bitch._ Afrida saw the look and corrected herself, "Of course you did. What was I thinking?"

"Hookah I got a scholarship to go to goddess school. Plus a stipend that I used to keep myself lookin' pretty." Lafayette snapped his fingers with one hand while gripping his laser gun with the other.

Lafayette frowned. "Only thing is, maybe the old man done lost a few buttons on his black suit. If I remember right he's sayin' the verses out of order."

"Why would he do that?" Afrida asked.

Lafayette shook his head. "Fuck if I know. Don't know what makes crazy old men do the shit they do. So I'm gonna just focus on keepin' his skinny ass alive."

Lafayette wasn't the only person in the audience who noticed Jonathan Fergus's seeming misstatement of the text. Lafayette saw several guests in the Scholars section leaning forward, looking confused and intent to figure out what Fergus was up to. Maybe the verses he recited held a clue as to why Fergus was so eerily calm in the midst of such a frightening situation.

Meanwhile, Saul was holding the gun, trying also to decipher what the hell Fergus was babbling about. He didn't know. The only thing Saul knew was that Fergus was very much in control, as he had always been. This incensed him, so much so that he lost his own veneer of calm, "You are a billing fraud!"

The audience, both in the meeting hall and around the world, gasped. Jonathan continued speaking evenly as if Saul hadn't said anything. "A time to weep and a time to dance. A time to keep and a time to throw away."

"Shut up. I said shut the fuck up!" Saul had become completely unhinged now. Jason and Nora and the other counselors in Benedict's cadre looked panicked, unsure of what to do.

But Jonathan kept speaking, his voice eerily calm in the face of Benedict's homicidal meltdown, "A time to be born and …"

Tara, horrified, saw the events of the next seconds in slow motion, as did the entire world. Saul squeezed the trigger, and a beam of laser light sped from the gun straight for her grandfather's chest. Jonathan's children screamed from the orchestra pit for him to get down. In a move that would have made Goddess Tara proud, Jonathan's grandchild Tara dove in front of him to take the hit.

Afrida was about to squeeze the trigger, when her eyes fixed on Fergus' hands, and the ball of light he held in them. She froze. As did Lafayette, who frowned and whispered, "What the fuck?"

Fergus effortlessly swept his grandchild aside as he opened his hands. A beam of light flowed forth in an iridescent ball that rapidly grew bigger and bigger until it surrounded Tara and CJ on the stage and Tara's fathers, aunt and uncle in the orchestra pit, and Counselor Jessica.

Tara heard a strange clicking sound, as her eyes caught a glint coming from her Papa's mouth. The glint looked like . . . fangs.

Tara's jaw dropped. She knew what fangs were because she knew the goddesses and several members of the Sacred Family were vampires. But she was shocked to see fangs distended from her own grandfather's mouth. Why had she never seen them before?

Tara noted that CJ also looked as shocked as she was, but her parents, aunt and uncle did not. Tara tried to focus and process all of this, but she couldn't. There was, after all, the pressing matter of a lunatic Counselor trying to assassinate her grandfather.

The laser ray from Saul's gun was captured by Jonathan's ball of light. Saul's gun seemed to backfire, and a larger, stronger ray of light rushed back to Saul, hurling him into the air and across the meeting hall. Jason, Nora, Eric, Jessica and Quinn, Saul's co-conspirators, suddenly stood up. Nora and Eric aimed weapons at Fergus. Quinn and Jessica tried to run for the door. Jason stood frozen. Afrida and Lafayette aimed and fired, dispatching all five conspirators in a flurry of laser light.

"… a time to die," Jonathan, his face solemn but unflinching, finished quoting Solomon. Jonathan dropped his hands and the ball of light disappeared. Tara heard another click as her grandfather retracted his fangs.

By the time Jonathan Fergus returned his hands to his sides, the attempted coup d'état was over. Benedict Saul and the five lifeless bodies of his co-conspirators were sprawled around the room.

_**Pandemonium**_

Jessica implored the Counselors to sit down, but no one seemed to be listening. People were screaming and milling around. Some were crying. Others hurried to the door, seeking an escape from the melee. Some of the Counselors were watching as guards carried the bodies of Benedict Saul and the five other dead counselors out of the meeting hall.

Tara heard her grandfather's voice, always so gentle, now booming throughout the hall. "Sit down, everyone. I said sit!" He shot another beam of light from his right hand, closing all the doors. The action made everyone in the room gasp, stop and pay attention.

Time seemed to stand still. Jonathan waited patiently as people returned to their seats, warily regarding their surroundings and the center stage, where Jonathan Fergus calmly stood. CJ gazed at Tara with a questioning look. Tara returned the look. _I don't understand any more than you do. _All she could do was stand next to her grandfather in shock as she watched the disarray and panic flow through the meeting hall like the river that ran through Pamela's Valley. Tara imagined the same kind of pandemonium happening in amphitheaters around the world.

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_Underground sight and sound_

_Human symphony_

_Heard the voice had no choice_

_Needed to be free_

_Fly me high touch the sky_

_Left the earth below_

_Heard the line saw the sign_

_Knew which way to go_

_Cause it's easier to try_

_Than to prove it can't be done_

_And it's easier to stay_

_Than to turn around and run_

_It's a blue world_

_It takes somebody to help somebody_

_Oh, it's a blue world_

_It's a new world_

_It needs somebody to love somebody_

_Oh, it's a blue world_

**Song: Blue World by _The Moody Blues_**

**Author's Notes:**

(1) You can find the song by doing the following Youtube search: _**blue world moody blues jackie. **_Click on the first link, which should be posted by Jackie Blue.

(2) There are quotes in this part of the prologue from _Psycho _and _Pulp Fiction_.


	4. Fergus Proclaims Pam and Tara Goddesses

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much to everyone for your interest in this story. This is the last part of the Prologue. Next up will be Chapter 1.

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**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of the Prologue. The Prologue is a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The Prologue, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, the Prologue is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

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**I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.**

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Prologue, Part 3: Blue World**

(Jonathan Fergus Overviews How Pam and Tara Became Elise's Goddesses; William Compton and His Two Special Guests)

**Planet Elise, Andromeda: Day 11 in the Year 20,001**

_**Jonathan Fergus Engages in a Socratic Dialogue**_

Tara didn't know how much time had passed. She lost track of everything after the meeting hall erupted in panic. She kneeled before her grandfather and looked up in awe. Tara regarded him as if he was a person she was meeting for the first time. In a sense she was. The Papa she had always known was not a killer. He didn't emit strange, deadly beams of light from his fingers. And he didn't have fangs.

Everyone in the meeting hall slowly returned to their seats. Once seated and settled, the entire audience stared intently at Jonathan Fergus. The room was so quiet that someone's cough echoed in the chamber, startling many out of their concentration. The faces of the audience members showed a complex array of emotions as they took in Jonathan – fear, admiration, respect, wonder, and adoration.

Jonathan kneeled and grabbed his granddaughter's hand. He gently pulled Tara to her feet and gestured for her to sit in the chair next to him. CJ returned on his own to his seat next to Tara. He was taking in his grandfather, just as awestruck as Tara.

Jonathan stepped forward and faced the audience. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out two items. Some in the audience recoiled out of reflex, his display of power fresh in their minds. He raised an open palm telling them to relax. He pressed a button on the controller and the room lights dimmed. One concave video screen changed from images of audiences around the world to a view of outer space.

Jonathan walked with a measured pace to the far end of the stage, searching. He now held the black case in his hand. Fergus's son-in-law, blonde Eric, seeming to know what his father-in-law was searching for, gestured for him to come to the orchestra pit. Jonathan saw him and walked over. Eric raised up from the pit a folded wooden table.

Jonathan smiled at Eric, "Thank you, son." Pamela entwined her arm in blonde Eric's arm and smiled up at her father. Next to them stood Godric and his beloved, brown-skinned Eric, standing in an almost identical pose, gazing reverently at Jonathan.

Jonathan unfolded the wooden furniture, which transformed into a shelf standing on three legs. It was too flimsy to lean on but more than sturdy enough for the tiny black case. Jonathan rested the case on the makeshift podium and began to open it. Tara and CJ gathered close to their grandfather.

Tara had never seen this case before, and she was curious what was inside it. Jonathan opened it, and an extremely bright beam of light poured from it. The light, warm and shimmering, illuminated the faces of Jonathan, Tara and CJ. Jonathan looked down into the beam of light with a reverent, transfixed smile. Tara and CJ, jaws slightly agape, looked as if they were entranced. They stood there without moving for several minutes.

Tara asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

Fergus replied, "Yes, it is."

Tara whispered, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

CJ echoed, in the same whisper, "Me, too."

Jonathan quietly agreed, "Me, as well. Except for your grandmother. May the goddesses rest her soul."

Tara's confusion and shock came through in her voice, "I … I imagined so many things when you told me about this in the story. I could never imagine what would contain what you described. So I… I thought you were making it up. How could it be real?"

Jonathan answered her, "You doubt anything you can't imagine. You never once considered the limitations of your own mind. You can't help it. This hubris is from the human part of you."

This pulled CJ and Tara out of their trances momentarily. Tara's mind was reeling. _Human part of me? Part? What does Papa mean? What are the other parts of me?_

CJ nudged Tara, giving her a look that told her the same thoughts were racing through his mind. But then they were both drawn back to the impossibly bright flood of light streaming from the tiny black case.

Tara was about to ask more questions. She tried to pull her eyes away from the light, when it abruptly disappeared and she was jarred out of her trance. Fergus had closed the case. It shut with a snap. He turned to Tara and CJ and gestured for them to sit.

When Tara looked around at the audience she saw that everyone was quiet. Most people were leaning forward. Mouths slightly open and eyes a bit wide, they gave Jonathan their rapt and undivided attention. Tara realized that she, CJ and her Papa must have stood for some time looking into the case as if no one else existed. Yet the whole world had watched, and now every one of those 900,000 plus Elisians wanted to know what was in that wonderful little black case that emanated the strange light.

Fergus rested his hand on the case, as if to say anyone who wanted to see inside it would need to come through him. He stood before the audience, held out his hands and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence."

Fergus let the words sink in before he continued, "It has been said to beware the beast called man. He is the devil's spawn. He alone kills solely for sport or lust or greed. Is this what you want? Is this the world you want to live in? If you persist along this course, that will be your destiny."

The audience murmured. Some shook their heads. _No, we don't want this._

Fergus spoke with an authority that Tara had never seen from her Papa, "Let's build some hope for a different future. I would like to inquire of the audience, only those under twenty-five. Little ones, please, salute me if you think you know the story of the goddesses. I'll take the first two of you brave enough to volunteer."

Fergus looked expectantly at the camera. There was a pause and then two tiny new screens popped up in the crystal glass ceiling. The Council members in the hall bent their necks back to look at the faces appearing on the screens.

Jonathan smiled as he saw the faces of two children, a girl and a boy, come into view. "It seems you two are the first and most eager to volunteer. And you are quite brave, since the whole world is watching and you don't know what I'm going to ask."

Jonathan smiled widely, as much for the audience's benefit as the children. He looked mischievous, making the children laugh. "You don't find this frightening?"

The children eagerly shook their heads, "No."

Jonathan made his cheeks fill with air and smiled a funny fat face, "And me, you're not afraid of me. Both children giggled heartily and shook their heads, "No."

Jonathan mocked being serious, "Very well. You proceed at your own risk."

He pointed a beam of light from his controller to the image of outer space he had pulled up earlier. He focused the beam on a cluster of stars, some of which were extremely bright. "What is this cluster of stars?"

The girl, about ten years old, quickly answered, "The Sacred Family."

"Yes, and can you identify some of the brightest members of the Sacred Family?" Jonathan asked.

The girl chimed in, "Yes, the two bright stars standing off by themselves are Pamela and Tara. The bigger, brighter one is Pamela. The smaller, less bright one is Tara."

"Yes," Jonathan said.

The girl continued, "The cluster of stars to the right of those two stars are the other members of the family. The big bright one on the outer edge is Eric, and the one closest to him is Sookie."

The audience laughed lightly. Jonathan didn't know exactly why people thought Sookie was a funny name. He supposed it just was. He asked the girl another question, "And can you tell me a bit about the four stars you just named?"

The girl smiled as if to say _of course I can, _and proceeded enthusiastically, "Well, long ago Pam and Eric were closest to each other. Eric was brighter than Pam because he is a much older star. And then Sookie was born, and she was so bright that Eric was drawn to her. He started to pull toward her and away from Pam."

The boy, about twelve, interrupted, which visibly displeased the little girl, "But for a while Sookie was pulled by another kind of star, a dark dwarf star. It tried to pull Sookie into its darkness."

Jonathan looked curious, "And that star's name is …?"

The boy interjected excitedly, "Bill, Bill, Bill!" Jonathan saw the boy's parents in the corner of the screen shushing him, embarrassed. He smiled.

"Parents, it's okay. Most little children love the chance to say the name Bill." Jonathan whispered the word _Bill_ as if it was too naughty to be said loudly.

Jonathan explained, "The story of the goddesses is the one time they can use a swear word and say it's not really a swear word. The story requires it. If you allow it, I give him permission."

Laughter filtered into the meeting hall from around the world. Jonathan continued, "_Was_ Sookie pulled into the darkness?"

The girl took over, "For a little while, yes. But then she pulled away and into Eric's orbit. But Pamela didn't like this at all."

The boy interjected, and received glares from the girl, "Well, before Sookie was pulled into Eric's orbit, Sookie used to be floating closer to Tara. It was like Sookie and Tara were on one side close to each other, and Eric and Pamela were on another side close to each other. But then this dark dwarf star came along and influenced all of them and changed their orbits. And then gradually they switched places. Sookie and Eric gravitated to each other, and then Pamela and Tara gravitated to each other."

"Very good," Jonathan said, and then turned to the girl. "How did Pamela and Tara gravitate to each other? Uhm, your name is?"

"Pamela," the girl answered. Jonathan smiled and nodded for her to continue. "Well, at first Tara was really a small, weak star compared to Pamela. They fought a lot at first. In fact, they were enemies. Sookie was pulled into the darkness. Tara was her best friend. She followed Sookie into the darkness and tried to save her, but she died in the process."

"Why did Tara die?" Jonathan asked.

The boy chimed in, "Because at that time Tara was human, and her body just wasn't that strong. So when the wolf shot her, she died."

"And then?" Jonathan asked.

The little boy was eager, "And then Tara was dying. She was a dying star, and she fell into Sookie's arms. Sookie tried to save her but she couldn't. Her energy wasn't strong enough to save Tara. So Sookie asked Pamela to save Tara."

"Did Pamela save Tara?" Jonathan asked.

The boy quickly answered, "Yes, but not before she bargained with Sookie for two favors in exchange for saving Tara's life. Pamela thought she didn't like Tara and wanted to devour her, but deep down she really didn't want that. Pamela loved Tara even then, but she didn't know it yet. So Tara was pulled from Sookie's orbit into Pamela's orbit. Then Pamela gave Tara some of her light, and Tara was reborn into a stronger, brighter star."

But the girl was eager, also, "But Pamela and Tara's orbits are different, stronger in a way than Eric and Sookie's orbits."

"Little Pamela you may be on to something. How is it that the bond between Pamela and Tara is stronger?" Jonathan inquired, curiosity lacing his words.

"Well…," little Pamela thought for a second. "Sookie and Eric were bonded by attraction, by gravity. So were Pamela and Tara. But Tara and Pamela are also held together by the bond of Pamela's light being inside of Tara. Pamela transformed Tara. She is her mother, sister, lover, daughter. Her everything."

"And the consequence of that?" Jonathan asked, a bit excited.

"Tara and Pamela's stars grew closer and closer, so close that to the naked eye they look like one star, even though they are really two stars. I can see them separately, but only with my telescope," the girl answered. "Without the telescope, they look like one big star. And every minute, even now as we speak, their stars grow a little closer together."

Jonathan beamed proudly, "You two are so very smart. Of course, you would not be afraid of little old me. Now some Elisian history … why do we call our sacred valley _Pamela's Valley of Tears_?"

The boy answered, "Because in this valley Pamela fought the final battle against the evil vampire god Bill to save Tara. And she cried a lot while she was there."

Jonathan asked another question, "And why is our most sacred tree, which sits in _Pamela's Valley_, called a _Weeping Tara_?"

The boy answered again, to the girl's dismay, "Because when Tara heard Pamela crying and felt Pamela's tears through their bond of light, she wept. Our ancestors named the tree after Tara."

And your name?" Jonathan asked.

"Osiris. Sy for short," the boy answered proudly. The audience murmured in surprise.

"Osiris? A special name. There are not many of us with that special name," Jonathan said, a look of surprise on his face.

"My parents are scholars at the Mezza Corona School," the boy beamed.

"Ah, they sip the wine of knowledge. You must know about magic, then. You're not a witch by chance, are you Sy?"

Sy laughed, "No, but my Aunts Sonja and Holly are."

"Did your aunts teach you about the rule of _as above, so below_?" Jonathan inquired.

Before Sy could respond, the girl interjected, "It means that in the story when something happened in the heavens, it also happened on Planet Earth or on Elise, or both. Different characters in the heavens and on the ground played the same roles."

Jonathan nodded, "I like your way of putting it."

Jonathan enjoyed the spirited competition between little Pamela and Sy. "Pamela, do you know the story of Isis and Osiris? Where does it come from?"

Little Pamela answered, "It's a story from Earth, from long ago. It's about a god and a goddess. The god Osiris is killed by another god named Seth and then cut into many pieces. His beloved, Isis, searches for him and puts him back together, but she can't find one piece."

The boy giggles, "Isis can't find Osiris's bill." The audience laughs, but Sy's parents are not amused. Jonathan can see hands on the edge of the screen grabbing Sy by the shirt.

"Yes, Sy. That's right. Osiris's penis was missing," Jonathan smiled and moved to quickly change the subject as the boy began a fit of laughter. "In the Sacred Family, who was Osiris in the heavens?"

"Godric," the girl answered.

"And on Earth," Jonathan asked.

"Tara, because she was lost" little Pamela answered.

"Who was Isis on Earth?" Jonathan asked.

"Pamela, because Tara was missing and Pamela had to search for her" the girl answered again, especially happy to say her own name. "But when Pamela found Tara, Tara was missing something very important, and Pamela had to replace it with a substitute."

"And in the heavens?" Jonathan asked.

The boy jumped in to get ahead of little Pamela, "N… uhm?" He stared blankly, a little embarrassed. To that, little Pamela smiled. Tears started to well in little Sy's eyes. Jonathan quickly reassured him.

"No, no, Sy. Do you know anything about this person? Do you know anything about Isis in the heavens?"

Sy concentrated, until something came to him, "Yes. She was Tara's … Tara's daughter, maybe. But I can't remember."

Jonathan smiled, "Very good, Sy. That's good. You know something about her. It's okay that you do not remember her name. Because I'm going to tell you. Today, I'm going to tell you Pamela and Tara's whole story from the beginning. And when I finish, you will know her name, and the name of everyone in the Sacred Family."

_**Jonathan Meets William Thomas Compton and William's Special Guests**_

Jonathan asked, "Now in the story of Isis and Osiris, you mentioned another god who tries to tear them apart. Who was he, again?"

Sy raised his hand to redeem himself, but little Pamela also raised her hand expectantly.

Jonathan said, "Looks like you both know it well. Sooooo, I'm going to let you both answer this one. At the same time, now. Who tried to come between Isis and Osiris?"

Pamela and Sy practically screamed at the same time, "Seth."

Fergus nodded, "Excellent. You both are so good. Now this is a tough one. Kind of tricky. Who is Seth in the heavens and on the Earth?"

Before either of the children could answer, the lush, adult male voice of another audience member chimed in, "Perhaps, with permission, I can answer that."

An image suddenly appeared on a third screen on the ceiling of the meeting hall. The Counselors looked up to see who had joined the public video conference. They saw four people. The man who spoke was handsome, with sad soulful eyes. He had dark hair that barely touched his shoulders. He spoke with what was known as an Earthly Southern accent, rare for Elisians, who were separated from their ancestors by over twenty millennia. He sat next two a woman and two younger adults, a man and a woman.

"You seem very interested in this particular question, sir. So yes, go ahead. And your name is?" Jonathan regarded the man curiously. Even though Fergus asked the man's name, his warm smile and tone suggested he knew him already.

"Bi… William Thomas Compton," the man enunciated each word. "And this is my wife Caroline, my daughter Sarah and my son, Thomas."

Jonathan looked past William and his family into the background behind them. He saw an open field and a _Weeping Tara_, its leaves swaying lazily. "Where are you? You're not in an assembly hall?

William shook his head. "No, we are at home on our farm. We live in a remote part of New Bon Temps. It's hard for us to get to the nearest big city, so we rented a telescreen and had it delivered to our home. This occasion was too important to miss."

Just then two small girls, looking about 5 or 6 in Earth years, plopped down in front of William and Caroline.

Jonathan asked, "And are these your grandchildren?"

William and Caroline nodded, _Yes._

"Your son's or daughter's children, or one for each?" Jonathan beamed as he asked.

William smiled. "My son still plays the bachelor, I'm afraid." Thomas blushed.

William continued, as a tall blonde man with blue eyes squeezed in next to Sarah, "These are my daughter Sarah's girls. This is little Jessica, and this little one is Sookie. And the man who just came in to us is Sarah's husband, Eric."

To this, Jonathan smiled. "Welcome William. You have a beautiful family. Well, given your name, I am sure you know better than many of us who is Seth in the heavens and on Earth and Elise."

William answered, a bit reluctantly, "Bill. Bill was Seth. Vampire god Bill Compton was Seth in both the above, and the below. In both the heavens and the Earth, and Elise."

Jonathan replied, "How was Bill able to be Seth in all those places?"

William Compton answered with a bit of sadness in his voice, "Bill was a vampire on Earth. Then he drank the blood of Lilith and became a vampire god. Being a powerful vampire god, he was able to occupy both the heavens and the Earth, and Elise."

"And what role did Seth, that is Bill Compton, play in our Sacred Story?" Jonathan asked.

William paused, until Caroline squeezed his arm, as if giving him the strength to continue answering the question. "Just as Seth tried to break apart Isis and Osiris in the Egyptian Sacred Story, Bill tried to prevent Godric's relationship with his beloved in the heavens. And Bill tried to break apart Pamela and Tara on Earth."

William suddenly stopped talking. The expression on his face was distant, as if he had been overtaken by his thoughts and overcome with emotion. The audience was silent, waiting for him to speak again.

Jonathan stepped in, "William, you gave such a thoughtful answer. I can tell you know this story very well. For that I am thankful."

William's lips curled slightly into a sad smile. His eyes focused again as Jonathan continued, "I have one more question for you and your family."

Jonathan deliberately softened his tone, "It sounds like vampire god Bill is an absolutely evil character in the Sacred Story. So much so that the word _bill _is a very bad swear word in our society."

William winced, "Yes, I know. But I… he deserves such infamy."

Jonathan, "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is not that simple. Because the formal name … your formal name, William Compton, is quite revered. What is the meaning of that? Why is it that, after everything that Bill Compton did, _William Thomas Compton_, as it turns out, also is a member of the Sacred Family?"

William started to answer, but before he could start, his attention diverted to something that was out of view on the telescreen. William said, "I'm sorry. Two very special friends just joined us. One of them would very much like to answer that question. If you don't mind, it would be an honor."

Fergus looked intrigued. He replied, "No, it is _my _honor to have so many people who know and want so much to participate in sharing the Sacred Story. Please."

Fergus and the rest of the audience watched as William Compton and his family rearranged themselves to make room for two women. William panned the camera out so that everyone was in view.

One of the women was very striking. She had the most beautiful tan skin. Her hair was pitch-black and radiant, lush and shiny. The other woman was equally beautiful, but with much fairer skin and striking auburn hair. They took seats between William and Caroline. The woman with the striking black hair sat next to William and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it and settled into her seat.

The tan raven-haired woman said in a soothing contralto, "Mr. Fergus, we are so sorry for being late. William and his family wanted us here with them for this special event. But we live in New Eden, which is even more remote than New Bon Temps, so it took us longer than expected to get here."

Fergus shook his head, "No worries. Everything that's meant to happen does. What's important is that you are here now."

Tara watched her grandfather closely. She had spent a lifetime gazing at him as he told her stories, many she didn't want to hear at the time. She knew his expressions like they were her own. He was acting like these two women were strangers, but she recognized the glint in her Papa's eyes. He clearly knew them already, and from the looks of things to Tara, he knew them quite well. Tara caught that same glint when her Papa first saw this William Compton person and his family. _Why is he pretending not to know them?_

The raven-haired woman continued, "You asked why William Thomas Compton is a member of the Sacred Family and given the same honor in the stars as all the family's other members?"

Fergus nodded vigorously, "Yes."

The striking woman with the midnight hair took a long moment, then turned and smiled at William. It was a warm, deeply familiar smile. "It's about the power of transformation. It's about the idea that you can die and be reborn, even if you've done terrible things. Very terrible things. You… we, can be better. We, each one of us, can be good, no matter what we were before."

Jonathan nodded thoughtfully, "Any other lesson for us?"

This time the other woman with the auburn hair chimed in, "Yes. The other lesson for us is that no matter how many mistakes we've made, it's never too late. Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around."

The auburn-haired woman grabbed the raven-haired woman's hand and squeezed it, her blue eyes welling with tears.

The raven-haired woman held back tears as she said, "One more thing to remember. It's very important. Pamela and Tara's Sacred Story is a love story. But it's also a story about the power of forgiveness. We give honor to the name _William Thomas Compton_ because through him we learn that there is no love without forgiveness. And there is no forgiveness without love."

Fergus smiled warmly, letting everyone take in the words of the two women. "I don't think I could have said it any better. May I ask your name?"

Some in the audience chuckled. It was almost impossible to find an Elisian woman with red hair who wasn't named _Jessica. _There were even cultural jokes about this. A popular Elisian saying to describe an unlikely event was "There's about as much chance of that as finding a red-haired Tara." Thus, everyone thought they knew the answer to the question, and thought it was politeness to a fault on Jonathan's part for even asking.

But to everyone's shock, the woman replied, "My name is Ursula." The audience gasped loudly, to the point where Fergus had to wait for it to quiet down.

Fergus said, "Ursula. _Ursula_. You can hear the shock waves going through the crowd, I'm sure. You are indeed a rare gift."

The raven-haired woman interjected warmly, "Yes, she is. She is the most wonderful, rarest gift of all."

Fergus smiled at the enchanted woman, "How long have the two of you been so in love?"

The raven-haired woman beamed as she squeezed William's hand with one of her smooth, tan hands and Ursula's hand with the other. "We say to each other that we've been together since _Zep Tepi_, the first time for everything." The audience murmured, confused. "But to answer your question, we have been in love with each other since the first moment our eyes met."

Fergus replied, "That is wonderful. Blessings to you." He smiled, a little mischievously, and winked at Tara, like he knew a secret. "What is your name?"

The raven-haired woman looked into the camera and said, "Lilith."

_**Jonathan Fergus Casts His Pearls and Hopes His People Aren't Swine**_

The Socratic teaching method between Jonathan, little Pamela, little Sy, and the Compton family and their guests ended. Chief Counselor Jessica called for a short break. With Benedict Saul's death and the little black case spewing the beam of light, _and_ the conversations with the Compton family and the two women with the unexpected names swirling in everyone's mind, a recess was sorely needed.

Jonathan sat in his chair sipping a cup of blood juice from the meeting hall's _Weeping Tara_ tree. He was off in thought. Tara kneeled before him, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.

Tara spoke when her Papa's eyes met hers, "Papa. Please, please forgive me." Tears threatened to fall from Tara's eyes again.

Jonathan caressed his granddaughter's cheek, "I forgave you before you ever did anything warranting forgiveness. Hold your tears, little one. You hate crying in front of your family, let alone the entire world."

Tara giggled slightly, but Jonathan could feel her shame and sorrow through their bond. He needed to put everything to rest, allay her worry. "You have no need to feel ashamed, little one. Some of the most passionate believers experienced the greatest doubts at first, and denied their gods."

"Then that must mean I will one day be the greatest warrior for the goddesses," Tara replied bitterly.

Jonathan's response was sincere, "You will be. I know this."

Tara rested her head on her grandfather's knee, murmuring into it, "I won't let you down again. I promise I'll follow you wherever you go."

Jonathan curled strands of Tara's hair in his fingers, "I'm going to hold you to that promise. You're going to fulfill it sooner than you know."

Tara frowned, wondering what he meant. Before she could ask, Jonathan stirred her by rising to his feet. Tara returned to her seat, and Jonathan stepped forward to face the audience.

Jonathan asked, "Does anyone know the meaning of the phrase, "Do not cast your pearls before swine? It's a favorite of my granddaughter." He turned and winked at Tara.

Counselor Lafayette clipped on his microphone, stood and raised his hand, "Yeah. It means you can have some real valuable shit. But it won't be worth nothin' if you give it to bitches who don't appreciate it."

Many of the Counselors groaned and rolled their eyes, embarrassed. Others giggled. Counselor Lafayette gave a look around that said he didn't give a fuck as he sat down.

"Your way with words is astounding," Afrida told him, sarcasm dripping.

Lafayette quipped, "Bitch, don't criticize. You is pretty, too."

Jonathan replied, "I have much to thank Counselor Lafayette for today, including that plainly stated answer." Lafayette nodded, acknowledging Fergus's subtle thanks for his role in killing Saul's supporters.

Jonathan continued, "Pamela and Tara's story is a pearl." Jonathan touched the tiny black case. "And this, is the most valuable pearl in the world. It is a gift directly from the goddesses. It is meant to be given to you. But I vow I will not give it if you do not value it. I will not give it if you show that you don't want it."

Jonathan paced the stage, "Why do we call Pamela and Tara goddesses? What is a goddess, anyway? Humans on Earth believed their gods would give them a new Earth. God would bring eternal life, peace, no hunger, endless joy, rest - everything that was missing in their day-to-day lives."

"Pamela and Tara fought a great battle against an evil vampire god named Bill. In the process of saving each other, our ancestors, who were witnesses to that great war, were given the gift of this planet. Pamela and Tara gave us long life without sickness, peace and prosperity, no famine, a bond that makes us empathetic to each other. What are they, then, if not goddesses? Our goddesses?" Jonathan intoned.

Jonathan faced the cameras. He turned serious, almost angry. "You all live an existence today that was only a dream to every human on Earth. Yet many of you long to throw it away. Why do we fast? So that you can appreciate what it means to feel hungry. Why do we abstain from sex? So that you can appreciate what it means to be full of longing and angst for the pleasure of sexual union."

"Why do we hold the annual festival in _Pamela's Valley_, doing the Passion of Pamela, laying prone in the valley crying her tears? So that we understand what it means to lay down our lives for the sake of friendship and love. So that we understand what it truly means to be a moral people."

Audience members around the world fidgeted and hung their heads, ashamed. Jonathan continued to rebuke them, "Why do we walk the long trail to _Pamela's Valley_, laden with nothing, not even food or drink? So that you may know what it means to struggle and feel tired, and hungry, and thirsty.

Why do we celebrate the end of our journey with a week-long festival of sexual congress and blood fruit from the _Weeping Tara_? So that we can appreciate pleasure and plenty after pain and scarcity. Because Pamela and Tara feasted and made love for an Elisian week in _Pamela's Valley_ when they were finally reunited."

Jonathan looked down at his family, who regarded him with open pride and admiration. _Thank the goddesses for my beautiful family. Please, let me live to see their return to my home world. _He continued, "You have been given every opportunity to appreciate the life you live, but some of you do not. You would rather follow the likes of _Benedict Saul_." Fergus spat out Saul's name.

Jonathan made a show of spreading his arms wide, hands glowing. "Is there anyone else? Anyone else in the whole world who wishes to debate me about the goddesses. Is there anyone else who seeks to silence me and the Sacred Story. Let her or him speak now!"

The Counselors shifted nervously, as did audience members whose images beamed in via the video screens. There was silence, except for the rustling movements of people looking around. Jonathan paced the stage. He drank more nectar of the blood fruit. He paced some more. He moved patiently, unhurried by the silence.

Just as the silence started to become unbearable, Jonathan spoke, "This is my message to you, especially the young ones like little Pamela and Sy, and William's little Jessica and little Sookie. There will be another time in the future, when someone will whisper an attack on the goddesses, when someone ridicules the Sacred Family and mocks the Sacred Story.

Jonathan paused and let his hostile glare sweep over the audience, "When they make these statements in secret, quiet rooms, you ask them why they are cowards. You ask them why they did not address Jonathan Fergus to his face when they had the chance. My advice to you, never follow a coward."

CJ smiled proudly. Tara was in awe of her grandfather. She looked at the orchestra pit and saw the same awe engraved on the faces of her fathers, her aunt and uncle. She understood why they had no reservations about following her Papa. She understood fully, now, for the first time, why they believed so strongly in him.

Counselor Lafayette crossed his legs, swinging the top leg, and leaned into Afrida, "Oooh, he's so manly."

Counselor Afrida teased, "I'm surprised you're still sitting here next to little old me. Go rush the stage and hump his leg. He might like your type."

Lafayette, pursed his lips. "Nah, hookah. Old man is cute. Real cute. I give him that. But he can't handle all this. Now Tara's two sexy ass daddies standin' in the pit … oh, they can both get this all night every night, at the same damn time, mmkay." Afrida snorted. "But anyway, I came to this party to listen to the music. I ain't here to dance."

_**Jonathan Fergus Confesses His Lies**_

Jonathan proclaimed, "Saul challenged me to confess myself. He accused me of lying to you. Well, he was right."

The audience gasped. They waited in anticipation to hear what Fergus would say next.

Jonathan continued, "I am not Jonathan Fergus XVIII, descendent of the very first Jonathan Fergus, transported to Elise from Planet Earth. I _am_ Jonathan Fergus I. I am the first, the only, Jonathan Fergus."

Jonathan paused, allowing the meaning of his words sink in. He saw Chief Counselor Jessica's confusion, then disbelief. She stared at him, mouth slightly open.

Once the audience settled down, Jonathan continued, "I am well-known for being a recluse, for disappearing for hundreds of years at a time. It is said that I inherited that trait from my father, Jonathan Fergus XVII, who inherited that trait from his father, Jonathan Fergus XVI, and so on.

So my children and grandchildren go out and fulfill the family responsibilities, leaving the crazy recluse grandfather at home. I encouraged the ruse so that no one would keep track of the babies born and parents who died, and so that no one would notice the same Jonathan Fergus walking about for thousands and thousands of years.

I also had another power at my disposal which allowed me to remain undetected, but now is not the time to talk about that."

Jonathan took a sip of his drink. Tara sat in utter shock. "I know with one hundred percent certainty that Planet Earth exists. I know because I was born on Planet Earth."

The audience erupted, but many who wanted to hear demanded that everyone be quiet.

Jonathan continued, "I know that the goddesses Pamela and Tara are real, because I met them personally. I helped Pamela look for Tara on this planet, just as she helped me, saved me, when we were both still on Planet Earth."

Jonathan proclaimed, "I know that the story of the Sacred Family happened because I witnessed many of the events. And those I did not witness I was told about directly by the person who experienced it. I personally spoke to Pamela, Tara and other members of the Sacred Family."

Not a soul in the entire world of Elise moved. They remained stiff as statues as Jonathan spoke. "So many civilizations have had to have much greater faith than you. You've been given so much - first person accounts of your ancient history, drawings, and writings. But still you refuse to believe without more, more, more."

Jonathan turned and regarded a screen slightly behind him. He pressed his clicker, and an image of outer space appeared on the screen.

Jonathan stated, "This is an image being beamed to us in real-time from Satellite Draco. This is a view of the Milky Way, our neighboring galaxy."

Jonathan pressed a button and the satellite shifted to a different view of a cluster of stars. One of the Counselors called out, "That cluster of stars. Is that the Sacred Family?"

The audience gave no reply.

Jonathan replied, "No, this cluster of stars looks like the star system in our own galaxy, which we refer to as the Sacred Family. But it isn't. This cluster of stars is in the Milky Way. It is called the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. Just as we tell stories about our Sacred Family, humans on Earth told stories about the Seven Sisters."

Jonathan pressed another button, and a different view appears of a pattern of stars. He zoomed in the camera as much as possible, but the stars still appeared a little distant. "This star constellation is in the Milky Way, as well. It is called Orion. It looks almost exactly like the constellation in our galaxy, which we call Kacela. Orion and Kacela. Both names mean "hunter."

A woman chimed in from the remote audience, "Jonathan, I'm Holly, an astronomer from New Connecticut. So are you saying that this confirms that our two galaxies mirror each other?"

Jonathan thought a moment, then answered, "Not exactly, Holly. You see, Andromeda is more than twice as big as the Milky Way and contains at least three times as many stars, maybe more. So the two galaxies cannot exactly mirror each other."

Jonathan clicked through several images and stopped at a side-by-side graphic of stars. "What is more accurate to say is that there is a kind of mirroring between our solar system _within_ Andromeda and Planet Earth's solar system _within_ the Milky Way. Just as we see the Huntress constellation Kacela from any point on Elise, people on Earth can see the Hunter constellation Orion from any point."

Jonathan pointed to clusters of stars in the side-by-side graphic. "I have placed the two solar systems side by side. You can see the mirroring. Here is Planet Elise, then Kacela the Huntress, and the three stars that make up her belt point a line to the Sacred Family."

Jonathan pointed to a soft flowing light that enveloped the star system of the Sacred Family. "Incidentally, scientists first thought this soft glowing light that illuminates the Sacred Family of stars comes from a far distant sun, but there is no evidence of that. The light is a kind of magic. We say it is the goddess of love shining on the Sacred Family."

Jonathan continued, "Now here is Earth, and the constellation Orion the Hunter, and the lines of his belt point to the star cluster of the Pleiades. Earth's pyramids chart the stars of Orion's belt on the ground, just as our own pyramids chart the star belt of Kacela."

The murmurs coming from the audience swelled. Jonathan turned to face them. "It was said that the pyramidal systems on both planets served as a kind of energy source for intergalactic transportation, tracing a highway between our two worlds. The highway begins at the hunters' belts, shoots up to the star clusters (Pleiades in the Milky Way and the Sacred Family in our own Andromeda), wherein there is black hole that allows one to traverse light years in a matter of minutes, carrying the traveler almost instantly into the neighboring galaxy."

The audience erupted, and another woman chimed in over the noise. "Jonathan, I am Helena from New Georgia. I am also a scientist. We have postulated the existence of this doorway, but what you say has been refuted by several studies. Any doorway between the two galaxies would be accidental, not predictable enough to traverse, not a standing doorway between two worlds…"

Jonathan clicked back to the image beamed from Draco and interrupted, "And yet you see that Draco has done it. I calculated the location of this doorway. It is not always accessible, but it is always there. This is an important distinction."

Another scientist appeared on the screen, cutting off Jonathan, "I am Sonja from New New Jersey. I am an astrophysicist. I have to agree with Helena. I don't mean to be disrespectful, Jonathan, but are you sure your satellite hasn't traveled deeper into Andromeda? How do you know it's actually in the Milky Way?"

Others began chiming in. Images of different citizens flickered rapidly across the screens in the meeting room. Everyone was battling to ask questions about the findings of Satellite Draco. Tara squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drown out the rising din. Jonathan slammed his fist on the podium, smashing it. The black case fell to the floor and popped open. For a brief second, a flood of light filled the room. It mesmerized everyone in the meeting hall, and the people who caught a glimpse of it remotely.

"Enough!" Jonathan said. Tara's eyes flew open.

Jonathan picked up the case and snapped it shut. The flood of light disappeared, and the audience shook off their trance. Fergus pressed his clicker again. The image of outer space beamed by Satellite Draco disappeared, and was replaced by a blue screen. Everyone grew silent as Jonathan stood before them, seething.

Eventually, Jonathan spoke, calm again. "The goddesses have a sense of humor. It is ironic that the three women who just questioned the images of Draco are named Holly, Helena and Sonja."

Jonathan pressed his clicker. The blank blue screen was replaced by a picture of a young boy. "This is me, Jonathan Fergus, at age fourteen. This photo was taken in Elise year 1, the year I arrived on this planet. Or rather, the year that I and the rest of your ancestors were transported to this planet from Earth by vampire god Bill, to be a source of food and sport, and … other things. I am not 1,000 years old. I am more than 20,000 years old, 20,015 to be exact. I was born on Planet Earth."

The audiences, both the Council meeting hall, and amphitheaters around the world, went wild with gasps and murmurs and shouted questions. The caramel-skinned boy in the picture with the mischievous smile did look like a young Jonathan Fergus.

Jonathan proceeded as if he heard nothing. He clicked to the next photo, "This is a picture of Pamela." There, on the giant screen, beamed to the world, was a picture of a beautiful blonde woman in what looked like a tattered space uniform. Her outfit was covered with blood and dirt, but Goddess Pamela's face looked fresh, radiant and beautiful.

Jonathan clicked to another picture, "This is a picture of Tara." Goddess Tara also smiled wide. She was wearing the same kind of space uniform, but hers looked brand new. Her features were perfect and her smile was radiant."

Jonathan clicked again, "And this is me with the goddesses Pamela and Tara." Now the screen showed the same fourteen-year-old boy from the first picture. He stood between Pamela and Tara. Their arms were wrapped around each other. They squeezed each other tightly and smiled at the camera. Pamela's hand combed through Jonathan's hair. Her other hand, characteristically, rested on her hip. The audience gasped at the iconic image they knew so well from cave drawing and other ancient art.

Jonathan waited for the audience to quiet down. It took several waves of eruptions, followed by random shushes and screams of "Be quiet" and "Let him speak." Jonathan left the last picture up on the screen while he waited. The audience eventually quieted down.

Jonathan said, "To Holly, Helena and Sonja, dear scientists. I know the doorway between our two galaxies is permanent and traversable. I know it exists because the original astronauts who traveled through that doorway left me with instructions on how to duplicate their journey."

Jonathan clicked to another photo of seven women standing next to each other, their arms around each other. The seven women were surrounded by several other people, including the young boy who looked like Fergus, who sat on the ground around them. A soft glow of light enveloped everyone in the picture. The light seemed to emanate from one of the women, a tall, extremely gorgeous blonde. She was slightly shorter than goddess Pamela, and more voluptuous, with full hips and ample breasts.

Jonathan began, "This photo was taken the same week that Pamela and Tara found each other in _Pamela's Valley of Tears. _Five friends from Earth traveled to Andromeda with Pamela to find Tara after the vampire god Bill hid her on this planet.

Pamela and Tara, and the others, had spent a week with us after Tara was found. This was taken the day they traveled back to Planet Earth. That day was such a beautiful day."

No one spoke. Everyone tried to take in the image on the big screen, including Counselor Jessica and Jonathan's entire family. Jessica's eyes, full of tears, found Jonathan's. Jonathan winked at Jessica, and smiled wide.

Jonathan continued, "This is Pamela, and Tara. Together with the five women who traveled to Andromeda with Pamela to find Tara – they became seven sisters."

The audience murmured in awe as they appreciated the correlation between Andromeda's seven sisters with the seven sisters of the Pleiades star system in the Milky Way. Jonathan smiled as he saw the wonder in his granddaughter's eyes.

Jonathan pointed to each of the women in the picture as he named them. "This is Pamela Swynford de Beaufort, and Tara Thornton, of course. The five other women who traveled to Andromeda with Pamela to find Tara are Afrida Erasmus, Sookie Stackhouse, Holly Cleary, Helena Wolfe and Sonja Braga. This is Holly, Helena and Sonja. _Holly …, Helena … and Sonja_."

As Jonathan said the last three names, he made a point of pausing and making eye contact with each of the three scientists who had questioned him about Draco. They dropped their gaze.

Jonathan clicked back to the blue screen, which switched a few seconds later to the image of outer space from Satellite Draco. The audience erupted in pleas and protest. "No, Jonathan don't!"

Jonathan responded, "Don't worry. You will all have as much time as you want with these pictures, but now I am going to tell you the story. The Sacred Story."

A counselor, a woman with curly brown hair and a dour face, called out, "Fergus, we demand to examine the pictures. I mean, surely you must see that this story is, well, difficult to believe. A team needs to examine everything, verify … I mean ... You cannot expect us just to believe these pictures were taken 20,000 years ago. And you just casually told us that you're more than 19 times the age of the oldest one of us. I think you should understand that most would find it difficult to believe -"

Jonathan cut off the woman and worked to contain his growing anger. He slowly raised his glowing hands and they started to burn even brighter. "Perhaps that isn't Pamela and Tara. Perhaps they aren't goddesses. Perhaps I faked the picture. Perhaps that little boy isn't me, at all."

The audience stopped talking and focused on Fergus's glowing hands. "Perhaps Draco, if I ever launched it or if it really exists at all, is floating somewhere in Andromeda, not in our neighboring galaxy. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps."

Jonathan's hands glowed brighter still. The dour Counselor who asked the question began to fidget uncomfortably. Tara smiled. She was glad the bitch was a little nervous.

"For those of you who want to disbelieve, there is ultimately no proof that I can give you. No pictures, no words, no logic, no explanation will ever be enough for you. Nor should it be. This is, at the end of the day, a matter of faith. Either you have it, or you don't," Jonathan intoned.

Little balls of light began to swirl in Jonathan's hands. "You see, ultimately whether you believe or not is itself a kind of magic that takes place within each of us."

Jonathan gestured to the image of outer space. He then held up the tiny black case. "For those of you who listen with an open mind, these gifts are for you."

The balls of light from Jonathan's hands began to jump. "For those of you who are hell bent on not believing the Sacred Story, these gifts are not for you." You … are swine."

Suddenly Jonathan raised his hands and the twin beams projected from his hands and blasted the dour female Counselor. She drooped forward in her seat. The audience gasped, and a few counselors surrounded the woman to check if she was dead. She wasn't dead, just asleep.

Counselor Afrida leaned into Lafayette, "What were you saying about Fergus being unable to handle all of that?" Afrida gestured up and down Lafayette's body.

Lafayette joked, "Alright, hookah, I stand corrected. Those little old man hands are magical. They can wake me up then put me to sleep."

Jonathan raised his hands, which made everyone in the meeting hall push back in their chairs. They were afraid to run, trying to be respectful while leaning as far away as possible. "Anyone else want to go to sleep like Counselor Jarvis?"

No one made a move. Jonathan lamented slyly, "Too bad she's going to miss the story. Her own fault, really. Some of you can tell her about it later."

Jonathan's hand returned to his side, but they continued to glow. "I'm not answering any more questions. Those of you who believe, will believe. Those of you who refuse to believe will find every reason not to do so."

Jonathan turned to his grandchildren. Their eyes were full of tears, streaming from the joy and admiration that filled them up. "I have spent almost my entire life waiting for this moment. I've waited for that window between the Milky Way and Andromeda to open again, as it was when I was first brought to this planet as a young boy."

Jonathan looked down at his children in the orchestra pit. They smiled up at him. "I've waited to tell an entire world the Sacred Story of Pamela and Tara, the whole story, from the beginning to the end."

Jonathan looked around at the entire audience in the Council meeting hall. "This story rivals those of our best playwrights. It evinces every drama and every joy of the Elisian condition - strife, jealousy, envy, greed, murder, selfishness, pride. But it also has peace, cooperation, love, hope, joy, generosity, sacrifice, humility, and forgiveness."

Jonathan looked down at the wrinkles in his hand. "This story has death, resurrection, rebirth. These concepts are ancient, undying."

Jonathan looked at the audiences whose images filtered in on the screens. "This story has many twists and turns, but there is no need to get overwhelmed. Or lost. Remember that you already knowing how this story ends. It ends with us."

Jonathan pressed a button to bring up the image of William Compton, his family, and William's two very special guests. He smiled at them. "The tale I am about to tell you is simple, really. It's just a love story. A grand, glorious, epic love story."

Jonathan took his seat. He reached over, grabbed Tara's hand and kissed it. Tara swore she could feel a kind of electricity flowing from her Papa's hand into hers. It made her warm and tingly. She squeezed his hand.

Jonathan leaned forward toward the audience. Everyone was silent. Someone had placed a rolled up jacket under the head of the sleeping Counselor. At that moment, Jonathan Fergus looked like everyone's kindly old grandfather, delighting in the liberties and respect that came with old age.

He spoke softly, conspiratorially, as if he was sitting in his living room speaking only to his grandchildren and not to a worldwide audience of more than 900,000 people. "There are so many little stories within this grand, sweeping Sacred Story. Most of us have favorite parts that we love to retell. They are almost their own stand-alone stories."

Audience members nodded and smiled, as if remembering their own favorite parts of the story. Many still kept a wary eye on Jonathan's glowing hands. Jonathan smiled warmly. "Pamela and Tara found each other, and true love. I have so many things to tell you, and it's so rare to hear them all in one sitting. But today is a very special day."

He rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his softly glowing hands in front of his body. As the audience in the meeting hall and around the world, focused on that ball of light, everyone seemed to relax.

Fergus said in a soothing, hypnotic voice, "I want all of you to forget about what you think you know about the Sacred Story. I want you to forget about Planet Elise, _Pamela's Valley of Tears_, and the _Weeping Tara_. I want you to empty your mind and pretend you don't know anything at all about this story, because you don't, really."

The audience grew deathly quiet. All whispering ceased. Fergus kept urging in that entrancing voice, "Now I want you to let your mind leave your body. You're floating up and out, away from Planet Elise. You are like Satellite Draco on the big screen, floating through space.

You're traveling from Andromeda to the Milky Way, heading toward Planet Earth. There it is. You can see it right in front of you. It's a blue planet, with inhabitants that look much like you. And you're not only traveling through space, you're also letting your mind travel back in time, to Earth year 2010.

Tara smiled with heavy-lidded eyes, which slowly closed. She wanted to take in the story as if she was hearing it for the first time, just as her grandfather was urging her to do. After doubting her Papa, Tara wanted … she needed to give him that.

Jonathan Fergus, who had been living for this day for more than 20,000 years, took a deep breath, which warmed the next words as they left his lips.

"Ah, yes. At long last, you're finally there now, at the starting point of Pamela and Tara's epic love story. It begins on Planet Earth."

**Prologue End**

**Next Up: Chapter 1 - Planet Earth**

* * *

_Heart and soul took control_

_Took control of me_

_Paid my dues spread the news_

_Hands across the sea_

_Put me down turned me round_

_Turned me round to see_

_Marble halls open doors_

_Someone found the key_

_And it's only what you do_

_That keeps coming back on you_

_And it's only what you say_

_That can give yourself away_

_Underground sight and sound_

_Human symphony_

_Heard the voice had no choice_

_Needed to be free_

_Fly me high touch the sky_

_Left the earth below_

_Heard the line saw the sign_

_Knew which way to go_

_Cause it's easier to try_

_Than to prove it can't be done_

_And it's easier to stay_

_Than to turn around and run_

_It's a blue world_

_It takes somebody to help somebody_

_Oh, it's a blue world_

_It's a new world_

_It needs somebody to love somebody_

_Oh, it's a blue world_

**Song: Blue World by _The Moody Blues_**

**Author's Notes:**

(1) You can find the song by doing the following Youtube search: _**blue world moody blues jackie. **_Click on the first link, which should be posted by Jackie Blue.

(2) There are quotes in this part of the prologue from several movies, including _American Beauty, Pulp Fiction, Planet of the Apes, Vanilla Sky_ and _Faster Pussycat Kill Kill_.

(3) Fergus's mysterious box containing the brilliant light is a homage to Marcellus Wallace's briefcase containing the glowing light in _Pulp Fiction_. Also, the 1955 film _Kiss Me Deadly _featured a mysterious glowing trunk.

(4) Interesting research find – the Andromeda Galaxy currently is on a collision course with the Milky Way. When that happens, the two galaxies will become one large galaxy. Don't worry. That's not supposed to happen for another four billions years, but there are some cool simulations of the not so impending collision on the internet. Just do a search for Andromeda and Milky Way collision.

**Reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**


	5. Introduction of M, Helena, Afrida, Quinn

**Chapter 5: Planet Earth**

******Subtitle: Mr. Roboto**

(Introduction of Generals M, Helena and Afrida and Colonel Quinn; VA Project Meeting)

**Author's Notes:**

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

(1) Season 5 had so many storylines that many questions were left unanswered. One unanswered question I found intriguing was, "Who was this General Cavanaugh who got staked by Eric?" I wanted to know how it was that he was visiting the Vampire Authority and had been dealing with Chancellor Roman Zimojic for 20 years. General Cavanaugh also mentioned that the federal government had new weapons that could destroy vampires. I wanted to know about these weapons and the federal government's efforts to contain and possibly eradicate vampires. This first chapter is my answer to those questions. Well, and I guess I created a few more questions for this epic love story. As I told you previously, there are new characters in this chapter that will be an important and ongoing part of the story, so I might as well let you meet them now.

(2) In this chapter, Pam and Tara are "out there in the world," but they are not directly in this chapter, just discussed by people who are very interested in them and the rest of the Northman family. We are getting closer to Pam and Tara, and they will arrive in Chapter 2. But please be open-minded and let yourself get to know the new characters in this chapter. I think you will grow to love them. I know I did by the last (11th installment) segment of writing them.

(3) I am posting links to the music used in each chapter to Zeta boards. I will also include any other background links, such as movie clips, etc. so that those interested can go see them. I cannot post the web link on this sight. However, do the following Google search: **zetaboards 8519476 fanfiction**. The link should be first on the list.

(4) I wanted to try something different with this story. To me the story is kind of like a movie with a soundtrack, and the music gives the story a different feel than if it didn't have the music in the scenes. I imagine the story as an interactive experience, wherein the reader listens to the music while reading along. But I understand that not everyone will want to do that.

So I have adopted the following convention to denote music as a soundtrack in the story, that is, heard by the reader, but not the characters: _**Music (title) begins: **__I will place lyrics inside the signal, like this, so readers can know what it is and pay attention to it or ignore it, as they wish. __**Music (title) ends. ~~ **_Music in the story that the characters can hear will be described in the story, also.

I hope that a few of you will have fun with this and see how you like it. If you do decide to incorporate the music into the story, I would suggest pulling up the link on Zeta boards at the same time as you are reading the story and listening to the song when it first appears. I would be interested in your thoughts regarding the impact of the music on your experience as you read the story.

(5) I will update the story with Chapter 1, Part 2 in about a week. Some have asked how I can update such long chapters so quickly. The answer is I cannot. I have written ahead of the reader for about a month, which I am continuing to do in hopes that family, work, and life don't prevent me from updating according to stated goals. I am taking some time before releasing the next Chapter update (I do not work as a writer for a living, lol), but hopefully this update is sufficiently lengthy and looks normal enough to keep people engaged. It is the equivalent of three chapters, really. So there is quite a lot to digest. Perhaps I don't want to give you updates too soon. ~~smiling~~.

**I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.**

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Chapter 1, Part 1: Planet Earth**

(Introduction of Generals M, Helena and Afrida and Colonel Quinn; VA Project Meeting)

_**Outer Space, Milky Way: Sometime in 2013, Specific Date and Time Unknown**_

Jonathan Fergus's Satellite Draco drifts slowly away from the Pleiades star cluster, making its way toward Orion's belt, and from there, it will head to Planet Earth. The satellite, two gigantic wheels connected by a "spoke" in the center, slowly rotates through space. A tiny metal engraving on Draco's hull reads, "Satellite Draco, Planet Elise, Andromeda."

Inside the empty expanse of Draco, a tinny metallic voice emanates from speakers in the walls throughout the steel coated cabin. It is the voice of Jonathan Fergus, back on Planet Elise, telling the Sacred Story to his audience of more than 900,000 Elisians.

On the Andromeda side of the celestial doorway that Jonathan Fergus's Draco recently traveled through, the year is 20,001 on Planet Elise. But on the Milky Way side of the celestial doorway, the year is 2013. Jonathan will learn the exact date when he later inspects the data from Draco. For now, Jonathan sits on a stage in the Elisian Council meeting hall telling his entire world the love story of their goddesses Pamela and Tara.

All around Fergus's Draco, outer space improvises a noiseless thrum, a peaceful serenade that accompanies the twirling vessel as it inches deeper into the Milky Way.

_**Outer Space, Milky Way: Sunday, June 13, 2010**_

_**Introduction of Generals M, Helena and Afrida, and Colonel Quinn**_

Satellite Draco moved through space. This satellite looks exactly like the satellite built by Jonathan Fergus, but two clues indicate that this doppelganger spacecraft exists in another place and time. Instead of receding from the Pleiades star cluster, this Satellite Draco rotates just 15,000 miles above Planet Earth. The brilliant blue sphere resides in the background, so close that it holds this Draco securely in its orbit. The second clue is engraved on the satellite's hull. It reads, "Satellite Draco, United States of America."

As a teenager, Jonathan Fergus was perhaps too young to know this, but an observer of a certain age from Planet Earth would instantly recognize Satellite Draco as an exact replica of Discovery One, the satellite in the movie _2001: A Space Odyssey._

In fact, Satellite Draco's homage to the Stanley Kubrick film was quite deliberate, designed by its creators as a kind of gift to their son, who loves the film. That favored son, a man named Quinn, sits in a room behind a doorway labeled "Brass Tacks." The Brass Tacks room was 50ft long by 20ft wide. Upon entering the room, a visitor sees an open space in the middle and walls to his right and left adorned with computerized instrument panels. Two long work tables, stretching the entire length of each wall, are affixed just below the instrumentation panels. Chairs are neatly tucked underneath the two tables.

_**~~ Low background music (Mr. Roboto) begins – **__You're wondering who I am (Secret secret, I've got a secret). Machine or mannequin (Secret secret, I've got a secret). With parts made in Japan (Secret secret, I've got a secret). I am the modern man. I've got a secret I've been hiding under my skin. My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBM… _

One man sat alone at the far end of the expansive room, facing the right wall. In front of him, the instrumentation panel blinked and hummed, and lights randomly pulsed. To his left was a window and beyond that window, outer space. The man sat up extremely straight, both hands resting palms down on the table in front of him. Between his hands was a laptop showing a document on the screen entitled _Pamela Swynford de Beaufort – Saturday, June 12, 2010. _

The man wore a neat, crisply ironed Army issue green uniform. His name tag said _Colonel Quinn_. Near Quinn's name tag, a six-pointed silver badge was pinned to his jacket. It read, "Lone Ranger Deputy."

Quinn's hands were a rich tan and his hair was neatly cut and a striking shade of black. His eyes, a deep emerald green, stared straight ahead, unblinking. Headphones were on his head. He listened as the voice of Pamela de Beaufort came through the headset. "Goddamnit, Ginger. How hard can it be to get an order right. I mean, we only order the same fucking things every week."

Rustling came through the headset, and then the sound of a door being pushed open. Pamela's voice again, "We go through four cases of AB negative true blood on a Saturday night like its nothing, so why on earth would you order two cases?"

Then Ginger, "Because I thought you said we had two cases already, so I just needed to order two more cases."

Then Pamela, "I swear too many hair chemicals fried your fuckin' brain. I said we need _to _order the cases. I didn't say we needed _two_ cases. Damnit, Ginger!"

Quinn continued to listen to the conversation on the tape for many more minutes. He heard music playing. At one point a fight broke out and he heard Pamela de Beaufort yelling, "Get the fuck outta my bar!" The rest was music. He listened until the tape ended, then he reached up and pressed a button on the instrumentation panel. The last bits of music that had played in his ears abruptly stopped.

Quinn removed his headset with both hands and placed them neatly on a cradle on the table. He stared at the computer screen, unblinking, for several minutes, then he began to type. His fingers moved at an inhumanly rapid pace. Letters poured onto the computer screen, quickly filling the page. He typed and typed without blinking or stopping, filling page after page until he abruptly stopped typing. The last words on the computer screen read Pamela de Beaufort: "Get the fuck outta my bar!" He hit the _save_ button.

Quinn stared at the computer screen for several minutes, then he pressed a button on the laptop, scrolling up all the way to the beginning of the document. He paused, unblinking, for several more minutes, then pressed a button to scroll down the screen. Quinn's deep green eyes moved rapidly back and forth, reading what he wrote. He scrolled through several pages of writing as fast as the computer pages could scroll down. He made no changes, but nevertheless hit the _save_ button again and closed the laptop.

He stood and opened a briefcase. He deposited the laptop. He then pressed a button on the instrumentation panel and a disc popped out. He placed it in the briefcase with the laptop. He closed the case, snapping it shut, then stood. He pushed the chair neatly against the desk, then turned and looked through the window at outer space. He stood completely still, staring out the window, for several minutes. The room was absolutely quiet, except for the low hum of machinery.

A ringing sound. Quinn's cellphone. The sound broke the silence, but did not startle Colonel Quinn. He retrieved the phone from his pocket and answered, "Hi, Mother."

"Good morning," a woman's cheery voice came through the receiver. "General M and I are in the Ready Room. Have you finished transcribing the tapes?"

"Yes, I am finished," Quinn replied.

"Anything noteworthy," the woman's rich alto asked.

Quinn thought for a moment, then replied, "Ginger may be ill."

The woman asked, "Why do you say that, Quinn?"

Quinn answered, "Because Pamela said she believes that Ginger's use of excessive chemical agents on her hair may have damaged her brain."

The woman laughed, then said, "I think Ginger will be okay. I'll explain it to you later. Go spend your time on the deck. I'll see you soon."

The phone clicked off. Quinn returned it to his pocket. He looked out the window for several minutes more, then turned and left the room.

_**Low background music (Mr. Roboto) ends. ~~**_

_**Satellite Draco Main Observation Deck**_

Colonel Quinn walked briskly down several long hallways, making two right turns, then a left turn. He walked down more endless hallways, a trek that indicated the expansiveness of the satellite. He passed countless open doors, where inside, uniformed men and women were bustling in the midst of some activity. Occasionally, someone in uniform would pass him in a hall and say, "Good morning, Colonel Quinn." Quinn responded in the same monotone voice, a rich bass, "Good morning."

After walking endless hallways, Quinn finally reached the Main Observation room. He walked through a moving throng of uniformed men and women, and more "good mornings" to which he responded, and headed straight for the observation deck. He rested his briefcase on a table closest to a ramp that led several feet out from the vast, open work area. This was the main observation deck, which was made entirely of glass, such that the viewer could look in any direction, including up or down, and see outer space in an unobstructed view.

Colonel Quinn stood at the entrance to the main observation deck of Draco, gazing intently at Planet Earth, which was suspended before him in the foreground, flanked by other artificial satellites, the moon, and in the distance, the sun and the planet Venus.

Unlike Fergus's Satellite Draco, which was devoid of life and eerily quiet, except for Fergus's grainy voice emitting throughout the cabin, Quinn's Draco hummed with energy and activity. Uniformed men and women, tiny U.S. flag patches on their right breast pockets, roamed purposely down the craft's muted grey hallways. Other workers tapped away on computer screens or jotted words on papers attached to clipboards of various sizes.

From Satellite Draco's viewing deck, lodged at the front of the spoke connecting Draco's twin gliding titanium wheels, the Milky Way stands still. This swarming, cloudy cluster of stars spans more than 100,000 light years from end to end. To most humans on Earth, this might as well be infinity. The Milky Way appears as a sea of static whiteness, but in fact it is moving at faster than light speed through the endless expanse of outer space.

Despite his deep understanding of concepts such as light years, telemetry, black holes and dark matter, Colonel Quinn relished the simple pleasure of standing on the Draco observation deck and watching the blue planet in the distance. Planet Earth. Quinn had seen this view too many times to count, but he never tired of it.

Colonel Quinn checked the watch on his right wrist as he stood straight and tall before a gigantic window that concaved around three quarters of Draco's observation deck. Standing on a crystal clear glass platform that jutted out from the ship, he looked down at his feet and into space. Most humans who ventured even one foot onto the glass platform quickly retreated with vertigo, overcome by the feeling that they were falling into the abyss of space. Quinn wasn't bothered by the view. In fact, he enjoyed it and often traveled to the very far end of the elongated platform.

A roasty scent, overlayed with hints of hazelnut, vanilla and chocolate, permeated the cabin – morning coffee and hot chocolate. Coffee pots were disseminated all over the main work area. Workers poured themselves ample cups, some sipping as they walked. Others stood in small circles around the dispensers, quietly chatting. Quinn inhaled the pleasant aroma as he gazed at Planet Earth in the distance.

A tap on his shoulder pulled Colonel Quinn out of his thoughts. He turned slightly to see an extremely attractive women, late twenties, tall, brunette, with thick shoulder length hair. She smiled a little too wide. Quinn didn't notice.

"Hi, Quinn," the pretty brunette said.

"Hello, Kara," Quinn answered, his voice a robotic staccato.

In a slightly breathy voice, the woman said, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Quinn stared blankly for a moment, as if he didn't remember that the brunette asked him some variant of this same question every morning when he was on Draco. She raised her eyebrows and elaborated, "Earth?"

Quinn stared intently at her and answered evenly, "Yes."

The zipper on the woman's work uniform was pulled dangerously low. Her ample cleavage pushed out, barely contained by its weakened fortress. Quinn didn't notice.

"I brought you cocoa, just like you like it. Double packs of cocoa, sugar and lots of extra whipped cream," the woman intoned in a voice almost too intimate for a professional setting. Quinn didn't notice.

Some distance behind the pretty brunette was another woman, a cute blonde with shoulder length hair. The pretty blonde shook her head, so much so that her tresses briefly lifted from her shoulders, and stifled a laugh as she pretended to be reading something on her clipboard. She periodically glanced up to take in the conversation between Quinn and the effervescent brunette. Quinn saw this, but didn't know what it meant.

Quinn did notice that Kara, the beautiful brunette who always brought him cocoa just the way he liked it on the mornings he worked at Draco, bore a striking resemblance to his mother. She wore her hair in the same way as his mother. Thick brown, slightly curly tresses cascaded just past her shoulders. Her hair even smelled like his mother's hair.

Quinn didn't know that the beautiful brunette had deliberately copied his mother's hairstyle. Nor did he know that she started smelling like his mother the day after she complimented her on how wonderful her hair smelled and asked what shampoo she used. The woman flicked her hair, causing familiar essences of roses and vanilla to waft around Quinn. The scent held him, and he gazed at her intently.

"Did your certification come back yet?" Kara asked.

Quinn stared blankly. Kara reminded him, "Your CPR certification? From the class we took together?" She blushed. Quinn didn't notice.

"Yes. Although it is odd that none of the breathing procedures you helped me practice were on the test. Thank you for helping me." Quinn didn't notice that Kara's face had now turned a bright shade of red. He did notice that her cute blonde friend standing a ways away was barely holding her clipboard, and was losing a battle with herself to not giggle. She was shaking trying to hold it in. Quinn didn't know what this meant.

Kara bit her lip and stared at Quinn's nice full lips, which were perfectly pink and looked delicious. "You're welcome. Anytime you want to practice …" The brunette trailed off, as if she was waiting for Quinn to help her finish that line of conversation. He didn't.

After several seconds of mutual intense staring, the woman yanked herself away from the pull of Quinn's deep green eyes. "Uhm… so … are you working here all day?"

Quinn responded, but continued to gaze at the brunette intently, unblinking. "No. I thought I was, but now I have a meeting at the base in Arizona."

Sadness swept over the woman's face for a moment before she forced her features back into a slight smile. Quinn didn't notice. She breathed, working up her courage. "So, Jenna," the brunette turned her head briefly toward the blonde with the clipboard, "and I and some others are going to the Comedy Studio in Boston next weekend, on Saturday. You wanna come?"

Quinn didn't notice the hopeful look on the woman's face. He stared intently at her, thinking. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry. I cannot. This weekend Afrida and I are scheduled to test new AV weapons."

The brunette heard Afrida's name and thought _Bitch, _but said, "That's too bad. Maybe another time. Uhmmm … Maybe something with just you and me."

Quinn didn't notice the expectant, somewhat agitated look on the brunette's face. He did, however, notice her effervescent smile. His mother had taught him that when someone smiled at him, he should smile back. He should also determine if the person is threatening, because sometimes smiling indicates aggression.

Quinn whiffed deeply, nostrils flaring slightly. Otherwise his expression didn't change. Quinn's whiffing nostrils raised goose flesh on the pretty brunette's arm and she blushed. Quinn didn't notice.

He could sense that the beautiful brunette wanted to attack him, but yet he detected no threat of danger. He smiled back at her, his pearly white teeth glistening, and quirked his brow, confused by the messages he picked up from her. Then he answered with a simple, "Yes."

The brunette beamed. Quinn hardly ever smiled, yet here he was smiling widely and intently at her. To the attractive brunette, it felt like sunshine suddenly appearing on a stormy day.

"Oh, okay. I'm looking forward to it," the brunette rasped. She stood for a moment more, considering whether to pin Quinn down on a specific date. Then again, she didn't want to look any more desperate than she already did. Quinn didn't notice.

The brunette backed away, still staring at Quinn. He stood as still as a statue and stared back, his emerald green eyes boring into her, sending a warm jolt between her legs. She turned and ran into a man crossing her path. "Sorry."

The man smirked and shook his head. The brunette walked briskly to the blonde with the clipboard, who grabbed the brunette's arm and pulled her away. They whispered to each other and giggled. Quinn continued to stare at the brunette intently. The brunette glimpsed back at him and found him still staring at her, which elicited a peal of laughter before her blonde friend jerked her around the corner and out of sight.

"Fascinating," Quinn said out loud to himself.

Quinn remained standing in the same spot for several seconds more, staring at the spot where the brunette and her blonde friend had stood just before exiting the room. He quirked his brow again. He felt something warm and wet flowing over his hand, then remembered his cocoa. He looked down at the whipped cream sliding down the sides of his blue cup, coating his fingers. He licked the sides of the cup, then his fingers, then sipped. He lifted his lips from the cup adorned with a white, whipped cream mustache.

He turned and again faced the giant concave glass fronting the observation deck. He gazed at Planet Earth. Behind him, workers moved back and forth. Computerized panel displays flickered on the walls, while lights of myriad colors teemed rhythmically. A faint hum of machinery filled the room.

The hum was subdued by Strauss' _Blue Danube Waltz_, which flowed out of the speakers dispersed throughout Draco. The music permeated the entire observation room, its volume robust but not overwhelming. Quinn's eyes opened and closed slowly, as if he was falling asleep. The rhythm of the music lulled him, as he slowly sipped his cocoa.

Quinn's wrist watch alarm pulled him from his meditation. At the same time, his cell phone rang. In a fluid motion, his left hand moved through his neatly combed pitch-black hair and smoothly down into his uniform pocket to grab his phone.

He answered on the third ring, "Hello, General M."

A man's voice, a deep tenor, resonated through the receiver, "Are we on schedule to be on time?"

Quinn briefly glanced at his watch. He answered, no hint of sarcasm in his voice, "If your goal is to arrive to the meeting 15 minutes late, then yes."

There was a brief silence, then the voice replied, "Take a slow walk over to the Ready Room. We'll make it 25 minutes late."

Quinn disconnected the call without replying. He regarded the view of Planet Earth one last time, then promptly turned and traversed the length of the observation deck. He walked through the main bridge of the ship, turned a corner, which led to a long hallway. As he walked the hallway, several rooms, most with doors open, hummed with the activity of workers.

At the end of the long hallway, Quinn turned left down a short hallway and then right, strolling through an open area that served as a game and lunch room. There was a dart board on the wall. Two pool tables, two table tennis tables and an air hockey table were dispersed throughout the room. Along the walls were arcade games, including three pinball machines, and vending machines. Dispersed among the game tables were small dining tables and chairs.

_**~~ Low background music (Mr. Roboto) begins. **__I'm not a robot without emotions. I'm not what you see. I've come to help you with your problems, so we can be free. I'm not a hero. I'm not a savior. Forget what you know. I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control. Beyond my control. We all need control. I need control. We all need control… _

Quinn saw a candy wrapper on the floor next to one of the pool tables. He walked over to it with purpose and stooped agilely without bending his back. He picked up the wrapper, turned on his opposite foot while bending, then stood. He strolled to a nearby garbage can and deposited the trash.

It was early morning, and no one else was in the recreation area. Quinn turned from the trashcan and stared contemplatively at the pool table. He checked his watch, then ran a hand through his hair. He tapped his foot and thought for a moment more before rushing to the table and quickly racking the balls. He slowly, painstakingly moved the rack back and forth several times, finding just the perfect spot. He removed the rack, then with similar painstaking back and forth positioning situated the cue ball. He deliberated for a literal minute, then selected a pool stick from several stored in a rack on the wall.

Quinn slowly paced in front of the pool table, lining up his steps as he chalked the tip of his cue. He stepped back, checked his feet, moved slightly to the right, checked again, then moved slightly forward. He bent at the waist, planted his left foot and lifted his right foot forward, dropping it slowly to the perfect spot. Back completely straight, he rested the cued end of the pool stick on his right hand, using his left hand to aim. He rested in that position, motionless, for more than three minutes. Only his eyes moved, unblinking, as he calculated angles in his head.

Abruptly, Quinn's left hand pushed forward, pistoning the pool stick into the cue ball. The white ball hit the tightly packed balls at the opposite end of the table with a loud _clack_. Quinn watched as all the balls rolled into holes around the table, until the only ball still spiraling along the green cushion was the white cue ball.

The cue ball slowed. Quinn watched intently as it moved ominously toward the hole in the right corner at his end of the table. It slowed and slowed, but kept rolling. Quinn's eyes widened in anticipation. The ball trundled almost to a stop in front of the hole. It paused for what seemed like forever, then dropped in the hole with a thud. Quinn frowned. He checked his watch, the ran a hand through his hair. Finally, he returned the pool stick to its holder on the wall, then walked out of the recreation area.

_Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto. Domo, domo. Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto. Domo, domo__**. Low background music (Mr. Roboto) ends. ~~**_

_**Generals M and Helena in Satellite Draco's Ready Room**_

Within the Milky Way, one of many countless galaxies in the known universe, Planet Earth and the other planets in its solar system chart their fixed courses around the sun. The journey of the planets, including Earth, is not an anomaly. Their courses have been fixed and unerring for millions of years, a time span that might as well be an eternity from the vantage point of human beings. Yet the truth of Earth's simple, timeless journey around the sun has been a revolutionary concept.

Until disproven by Galileo in the 17th Century, theologians and scientists believed that Planet Earth was the center of the Milky Way and that the Sun revolved around the Earth. Humans clung to this idea, largely because it reinforced their view of themselves. Humans had developed a theology that presumed they were the center of God's world. God, so it was said, created Planet Earth for humans. Therefore, just as humans are the center of the spiritual universe, Earth must be the center of the material universe.

Any threat to this cosmological view was heretical, and with good reason. If Planet Earth was not the center of the known universe, then perhaps humans were not the subject of divine purpose. Perhaps humans were nothing special at all. For his scientific discovery, Galileo was condemned as a heretic by the Catholic Church, subjected to the wrath of the Spanish Inquisition and placed on house arrest until his death. The Church finally admitted that Galileo _might_ be correct in 1983.

Of course, little did the Church know that approximately two decades later, another leap in knowledge would prove just as threatening, perhaps more so, than Galileo's support of the Copernican theory. In 2006, vampires around the world came forward and revealed themselves. This Great Revelation, as it came to be called, was heralded as the death knell of human religion. Of course, human religion is persistent; and the Great Revelation merely gave birth to new religious sects, like Fellowship of the Sun, which devoted a special emphasis to demonizing vampires.

At this moment, General M knew much more about the Catholic Church's persecution of Galileo and its tangential relationship to vampires coming out of the closet than he wanted floating in his head. This was because a heated discussion bordering on an argument was taking place on a giant monitor in the General's Ready Room.

General M sat at a long wooden table drinking a cup of coffee. Several folders, their protruding tabs marked with white labels, lay out in front of him.

The general opened a folder labeled _Sookie Stackhouse_. Inside were several photos of the blonde waitress. M flipped to a diagram labeled _EcoMap (Spheres of Influence)_. It showed lines going from a picture of Sookie to various squares. The squares read _Adele Stackhouse, Earl Stackhouse, Corbett Stackhouse_, _Michelle Stackhouse_, which were all stamped with the word _deceased_ in red, _Jason Stackhouse, Hadley Hale, Tara Thornton_, _Sam Merlotte_, _Lafayette Reynolds,_ _William Compton,_ _Eric Northman_.

The conversation emanating from the 75-inch monitor invaded the room, and M's thoughts. "How long will it take you to acknowledge that vampires exist, Patrick?! Maybe the church will issue an edict in, I don't know, 2132." A woman's voice escalated.

M pursed his lips slightly, annoyed. He looked up at the video screen, which showed a room with a long engraved table made out of thick glass. Around it several people sat, paced or hovered. Two very attractive blonde beings in army uniforms, their gender was unclear but they were in fact androgynous males, periodically danced in and out of the camera's view. They appeared to be entertaining and flirting with two very attractive brunette women with glowing yellow eyes – wolves, in heat.

Three older men, approximately mid-50's to early 60's sat near the far end of the table. Their army uniforms were adorned with several rows of regalia, indicating their superior rank – generals. Two of them had graying salt and pepper hair. The third man's hair was entirely white.

At the other end of the table sat four brown-haired women, including the one with the annoying voice. She was leaning into a Catholic priest, making some point about the Spanish Inquisition.

On the same side of the table as the priest, book-ended by empty chairs, sat a strikingly beautiful blonde woman. She looked like a 1950's pin-up girl, or bombshell movie star from another time. She wore an army uniform, official issue pants suit, which failed entirely to hide her voluptuous figure. Her long, full head of hair was mostly pinned up, with a few curls falling behind her ears and touching her shoulders. Even on the screen, her brilliant, impossibly clear blue eyes jumped out. They were framed by a double row of eyelashes.

The beautiful blonde listened to the argument. She was smirking and wore a perpetually bored expression. General M could see through the glass table that her legs were crossed. She swung the crossing leg methodically back and forth, all the while staring straight at the screen. Her eyes seemed to stare right into the Ready Room on Satellite Draco, as if she knew someone was watching her from 15,000 miles above the Earth.

In the Ready Room across the table from General M, a tall beautiful raven-haired woman, General Helena, stood with her perfectly firm butt resting on the table, her back to General M. Helena watched the sexy blonde intently.

The blonde opened and closed her eyes slowly. Helena could see the blonde suck in a breath, then swallow. Her leg continued its rhythmic rocking. The blonde smiled fully, her eyes seemingly locked onto the brunette through the hidden camera in the room. No one else in the room behaved as if they knew they were being watched.

The annoying woman's voice droned, "your problem is your fundamental lack of respect for nature's power …"

One of the generals with salt and pepper hair interrupted, "Fuck me, I thought the goddamn environmentalists were bad. I don't know what nonsense M's been telling you but we don't respect nature in the U.S. Army, Endora. We master it. And as for you, Patrick, your heyday was the Spanish Inquisition. It's been downhill for your church ever since."

"Marigold is pissed," Helena observed.

General M replied, "It's her fault, really."

"She's a witch. Hammer's being offensive calling her Endora," Helena objected.

General M continued flipping through files. "Hammer and Dodson call her Endora and do that other _Bewitched_ shit to get a rise out of her. She never disappoints them."

General Helena's eyes wandered back to the beautiful blonde. She smiled slightly, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. She shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the blonde's spell, as she turned away from the screen and faced General M. "These meetings are always the same," she sighed.

General M looked up, this time fully taking in the scene playing itself out on the video screen. "Yes. The witches are arguing with the Catholic priest about who destroyed America. The generals are plotting my destruction. The fairies are dancing. The wolves are gazing like they want to eat them."

Helena interjected, "Oh, the two wolf sisters are now dating the two fairy brothers. The four of them are so cute, always together."

M raised an eyebrow, "Really. I guess I'm not surprised. So the wolves aren't hunting. They're savoring. No wonder the girls are glowing. Dodson and Hammer will have a free for all shitfest if they shift during the meeting."

Helena chuckled. M glanced at the beautiful blonde, still swinging her leg methodically. "And I see Afrida is bored and masturbating, as usual."

Just then Quinn, holding his briefcase, walked into the room. He greeted M, "General M."

"Good morning, Colonel Quinn," M replied.

Quinn opened his briefcase and gave M his laptop. He then took a place beside Helena. He kissed her lightly on the check and turned to see what she was watching on the video screen. "Good morning, Mother."

"Good morning, Quinn," she smiled and answered warmly.

General M scrolled Quinn's transcripts on the laptop computer. M spoke as he read, mostly to himself, "Ginger got another order wrong, I see. And only two fights at Fangtasia last night. Slow Saturday."

General M closed out the transcript for Pamela de Beaufort and opened one labeled _Eric Northman_. "Meetings with sheriffs in Alabama and Mississippi. Meetings with King Bill Compton to discuss the vampire public relations problem."

M returned his attention to the _Sookie Stackhouse_ folder. He asked, "Is Sookie Stackhouse still in Faery?"

Quinn answered in his usual monotone voice, his eyes never leaving the screen, "Yes, she is still there, as of this morning according to James and Jameson."

M asked, "Did she eat the light fruit?"

Quinn answered, "No, she has not."

Quinn watched General M read through his transcripts. He frowned and asked, "There is something I do not understand."

"What is it?" M asked.

"I've been listening to Pamela and Ginger for almost two years, ever since we planted Fangtasia and their bodies with surveillance devices. Although I haven't performed a statistical analysis, I believe that on more than eighty percent of occasions, Pamela asked Ginger to perform certain tasks, such as order supplies, and Ginger failed at the task assigned. And yet, day after day, week after week, Pamela gives her the same assignments to do over and over again.

You explained to me that it is an illogical waste of resources to do the same thing over and over again when it has shown itself repeatedly to be a failing enterprise. Pamela is very capable in operating her business, so she must understand this principle. Yet she keeps allowing Ginger to make mistakes, mistakes that in some cases cost her thousands of dollars in losses.

She doesn't fire her. She threatens to fire her but never follows through on this proposed action. In fact, during the time we've been monitoring them, Pamela has given Ginger two raises that are at least 15% more than would be given by similar establishments for the same level of experience. Furthermore, Pamela has much more qualified employees that she could retain if she gave them fifty percent of the raise that she has given to Ginger, and yet she does not."

Helena regarded Quinn with a loving smile. She asked, "M and I allow you to make the same mistakes over and over again. Why do we do that?"

Quinn answered, "You tell me you do that because I am your son and you love me."

Helena went on, "So M and I allow you to make the same mistakes over and over again because we love you. Pamela allows Ginger to make the same mistakes over and over again. Therefore?" Helena stopped and waited expectantly for Quinn to process this.

Quinn stared blankly at Helena for several long seconds. Then he said, "No, Mother. I don't get the _therefore_. I am your son. Ginger is not Pamela's son. She is Pamela's employee. There are protocols for dealing with employees. They are not the same as those for dealing with sons."

M interjected, "You'd be surprised, Quinn."

Helena corrected Quinn, "Ginger is not an employee."

Quinn objected, "Yes, she is."

Helena said, "No, she isn't."

Quinn replied, same monotone, "Yes, she is."

Helena said, more insistently, "No, she _isn't_. You're making the mistake of thinking that what Ginger is labeled has anything to do with what she is."

Quinn frowned and looked thoroughly confused by what Helena said. Helena and M waited a few moments for him to process. Then M said, "Perhaps this will help you understand what your mother is saying, Quinn."

M pulled out the two folders labeled _Eric Northman _and _Nora Gainsborough_. "What does the label on this folder say?"

"Eric Northman," Quinn answered.

"And this folder," M asked, holding up Nora's folder.

"Nora Gainsborough," Quinn answered.

M placed the folders side by side on his desk. He said, "Quinn, please be helpful and give me the most recent key surveillance data on Eric Northman."

Quinn immediately picked up the folder labeled _Eric Northman_, opened it and handed M the piece of paper on top. "Here is the data from yesterday. I need to compile, print and file today's data."

M examined the data. Nodded that it was correct, then placed the paper back in the folder. M then switched the labels so that Eric's name was now labeling Nora's folder, and vice versa. Quinn watched intently as M did this.

M then rested the two folders side by side on his desk and again asked, "Quinn, please be helpful and give me the most recent key surveillance data on Eric Northman."

Quinn paused for a moment, then picked up the folder now labeled _Nora Gainsborough_, opened it and once again handed M the top piece of paper.

M looked at the piece of paper and nodded that it was correct. "Why did you open this folder, Quinn?"

"Because it contained the data on Eric Northman?" Quinn answered.

"But it's clearly labeled _Nora Gainsborough_," M said.

"Yes, but the contents are about Eric Northman," Quinn objected.

"How did you determine that when the label says otherwise?" M asked.

Quinn thought for a moment, then his eyes opened slightly as is a tiny light when off behind them. "I looked at the content in the folder."

M asked, "What was more important in determining the truth about the data? The label or the contents of the folder? What was on the outside or on the inside?"

Quinn thought, then said slowly, working through the problem, "The data on the inside. The label on the folder was meaningless. Irrelevant. What was on the inside was more important than what was on the outside."

Helena came over to Quinn. She folded her arms and looked up at him, smiling warmly. "What is Ginger labeled, Quinn?"

"She's an employee. A poorly performing employee," Quinn said.

Helena continued, "And what do you hear when Pamela and Ginger are together."

Quinn answered, "A lot of yelling. Pamela yells at her a lot. And complains about her. And insults her."

Helena continued, "Which makes you logically think what about how Pamela feels about Ginger?"

Quinn answered, "Based on the cues you taught me, I think Pamela hates Ginger."

Helena smiled and said, "Okay. Now tell me what Pamela's other data says. What do you hear when Fangtasia is closed and Pamela is in her coffin?"

Quinn answers, "Silence. Restless movements, like she is tossing and turning. Crying. Lots of crying."

"And during the daytime hours when a vampire should be sleeping deeply?" Helena asked.

Quinn answered, "Silence. But sometimes the same restless movements. Sometimes the same crying. And sometimes screaming. Nightmares."

Helena asked, "And what are her bodily functions like during those times?"

Quinn thought, then said, "Her blood flow is rapid. Agitated. Sporadic. Her bond's energy reaches a very high voltage."

Helena spoke softly, and asked, "And what are Pamela's internal bodily functions like when she is around Ginger?"

"Her blood flow is slow and steady. Her bond voltage is within normal ranges, generally toward the lower end," Quinn said thoughtfully.

Helena asked, "And what are Ginger's bodily functions like when she is around Pamela, even when Pamela is screaming at her at the top of her lungs and threatening to fire her, kill her, or both?"

Quinn answered, "Her heart rate is elevated, but not outside normal levels. Those instances seem to be more correlated to when she feels bad or guilty about a mistake than with Pamela's yelling. Most of the time she ignores the yelling and is calm."

Helena then concluded, "And what does the sum total of that information about Pamela and Ginger tell you about the true nature of their relationship, regardless of what it is labeled, and regardless of how it looks from the outside?"

Quinn stared blankly. Helena could almost see the circuitry of his mind whirring. She let him be. M chuckled, "That should keep him occupied for a while."

Meanwhile the argument transpiring on the television screen continued to drone into the Ready Room from the wall monitor. Quinn was transfixed on the inner working of his mind. M asked, "You hear that shit, Quinn? You understand why I changed our schedule from 15 minutes late to 20 minutes late?"

Quinn, still inside his head, said, "Yes, but that professor will be dialing in at 30 minutes late."

M nodded. He jotted a note on a paper in the _Sookie Stackhouse_ folder, then reluctantly closed it. He stacked it on other folders, three of them labeled _Eric Northman_, _Nora Gainsborough _and _Pamela Swynford de Beaufort. _He stood and pushed his chair flush against the table.

Without speaking, Quinn and Helena turned and followed General M out of the room. They strolled down the hall, stepping in unison. General M on the far right, then Colonel Quinn, then General Helena on Quinn's left. Quinn continued to be deep in thought.

General M, General Helena and Colonel Quinn were each visually striking in their own right, but together, they were absolutely mesmerizing. They shared so many unusual features in common, and so were clearly related. All three had not brown, but shockingly thick black hair. Quinn's hair was slightly moisturized and cut close and neat, giving him the look of a model for a crisp clean-cut men's clothing line, more J. Crew than Abercrombie & Fitch. General M's hair was cut in a similar neat style. Helena wore her hair in lush slightly curled tresses that dipped just past her shoulders.

All three officers had beautiful deep emerald eyes, and a hairline that dipped into a slight widow's peak at the forehead. Their skin was the same even, lightly tanned, sun-kissed hue. They were all tall. Helena was 5'11". General M stood 6'3". Quinn was 6'4", but he seemed to tower over M because of his litheness.

Quinn's body type was similar to his mother's lean, svelte frame. General M, in contrast, was thick and muscular, with broad shoulders and imposing arms. The men were both clean-shaven. All three of them looked youthful, but Helena and M's demeanor made clear that they were much older than Quinn. All three wore army uniforms. Like M and Quinn, Helena wore a pants suit, which contained her full cleavage and covered her other curves tastefully.

General M, General H and Colonel Quinn walked purposely down a long corridor. Other staff in the hallways parted when they saw them approaching. The three of them looked like they just stepped out of the video reel of a Hollywood movie, one that had been techni-colored by the TNT cable channel. Their facial features were a lush mix of vibrant contrasts, and they stood tall, larger than life. Their heels clacked in unison as they approached a room with a door labeled _Teleport_.

M, Helena and Quinn stood on separate round pods. They waited as a clear glass tube descended from the ceiling and encased them. A voice droned into the room from some unseen place, "General M, we're clear on this end for three teleports."

"Engage," General M stated calmly.

The pods underneath their feet hummed, then vibrated. In an instant, M, Helena and Quinn disappeared, and the glass tubes were empty. The humming stopped, and the glass tubes ascended into their ceiling compartments.

_**Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Sunday, June 13, 2010**_

_**Meeting of the Federal Vampire Assimilation (VA) Project**_

M, Helena and Quinn shimmered then solidified inside three separate glass tubes. The glass tubes ascended to the ceiling, and the three officers stepped off the rounds pods. They resumed the same lock step walk as they traveled down a stark white hallway. Quinn continued to be deep in thought, but slowly his eyes widened. The light behind his eyes grew bigger and bigger.

Helena asked, "Did you make the pool shot today, Quinn?"

Quinn frowned, "No, I scratched."

"You sound disappointed," Helena said.

Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "No. I put myself to the fullest possible use, which is all that any conscious entity can ever hope to do."

Helena smiled and held Quinn's arm. "That's right, Son."

Quinn suddenly said, "I know the answer."

Helena asked, "The answer to what, Quinn?"

Quinn said, "What the sum total of information about Pamela and Ginger tells one about the true nature of their relationship, regardless of what it is labeled, and regardless of how it looks from the outside."

M asked expectantly, "Okay, Quinn. What does it say to you?"

Quinn smiled, amazed at his discovery, "It tells me that Pamela loves Ginger very much, and Ginger knows this."

Helena beamed proudly at her son. "Yes. Remember this, Son. Sometimes, what you see on the outside and what a thing is called has very little to do, or nothing at all to do with what it actually is. Try to remember that."

M smiled proudly, too. Then he changed the subject and asked, "Quinn, I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I?"

Quinn thought for a moment. He said, "The letter E." Helena smiled.

M thought for a moment, then continued, "What question can you never honestly answer _yes_ to?"

Quinn thought for a longer moment, "Are you asleep?"

Helena beamed, "Very nice, Quinn. You do realize that another acceptable answer to that riddle used to be '_Are you dead _?'"

M chimed in, "Until vampires revealed themselves, that is."

The three officers approached an elevator. Helena pressed a button, and they waited. M continued, "Anyway, those were just to build your confidence, Quinn. Now an old favorite. And remember Quinn, reaction time is a factor so please pay attention."

"The _Blade Runner _interview, again?" Quinn asked.

"M does seem to love that one, Quinn," Helena said.

"It's an endless teaching tool for him," M responded.

A _bing_ sounded in the quiet hallway and the elevator doors opened. The three officers stepped inside. Helena pressed a button – LL 22. The elevator steadily descended downward, deep below ground.

M started the riddle. "You're in a desert, walking along in the sand when all of a sudden you look down and see a tortoise. It's crawling toward you. You reach down and flip the tortoise on its back, Quinn."

"What's a tortoise?" Helena smirked.

"Nice one, Helena," M proceeded. "The tortoise lays on its back, it's belly baking in the hot sun. It's beating its legs trying to turn over but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that, Quinn?"

Quinn frowned. The elevator doors opened and the three officers stepped into another stark white hallway. The synchronized clacking of their steps echoed in the hallway. "I'm a soldier and I am insensitive to death."

M considered Quinn's answer. "Acceptable, perhaps, depending on your audience. However, your answer characterizes our armed forces, our men and women in uniform, as a bit sadistic. Do you intend to convey such a message in your answer?"

"Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo … yes, we are a bit sadistic," Quinn responded earnestly.

M smiled, "True. But remember, Quinn. Humans don't like painful truths about themselves. A very good answer incorporates this factor."

The officers arrived at two large double doors. M punched in a code and the doors slid open. M, Helena and Quinn entered the same room they had earlier been observing while on Satellite Draco. The familiar cast of characters ceased their heated discussion and acknowledged the officers' arrival.

The group sitting around the table in this room more than 20 stories below ground comprised the leadership of the Federal Government's Vampire Assimilation (VA for short) Program. It's stated mission was to facilitate the mainstreaming of vampires into American society. Its secret mission was to contain and eventually eradicate vampires. The VA Program's funding was entirely off-budget, funded in part by diverted federal funding. Thus, it worked with other federal agencies and the Pentagon, but was not a part of such entities. Most of its members were nameless and faceless, no official identification or known records. Some of its members also were non-human.

Quinn whispered to Helena, "General M wants me to lie?"

Helena murmured, "Not exactly, Son. Your father wants you to come up with an answer that portrays you, the soldier, as a hero and not as a sadist."

Quinn nodded, but looked as if he wasn't entirely sure what Helena meant. Generals M and Helena and Colonel Quinn took seats around the beautiful blonde. Quinn and Helena sat on either side of her. M sat next to Helena.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," M said as he took his seat. He regarded the two dancing fairies, "And those who are both, or neither."

The two androgynous male fairies smirked at M as they took their seats next to the two female wolves. The generals chuckled. Dodson, one of the salt and pepper haired generals, gestured at the fairies and quipped, "Well, M. This is what _your_ army has come to, fairies and dogs." Dodson's deep-set brown eyes flickered. He was fit, but short and a little stumpy. His face was youthful and round, and he was slightly balding on the top of his head.

M smiled a wicked smile. "Oh, General Dodson. First, be nice. Second, don't call Elizabeth and Liza dogs. They are both more beautiful than any woman who's ever let you touch her."

Hammer chuckled, to Dodson's slight chagrin. Hammer looked like the handsome big brother compared to Dodson. He had similar salt and pepper hair. His face was square, with a strong jaw line. He was tall, but not taller than M, and very fit. He made an imposing presence wearing his green Army uniform. His piercing blue eyes emanated a strong will and an agile intellect.

Afrida, the blonde bombshell, calmly chimed in at Dodson, sounding mostly disinterested, "Yes, Dodson. I saw the one you had your eye on last month. So nice of you to give Dorothy a break by babysitting Toto."

Dodson sneered at Afrida. M chuckled and continued, "James and Jameson know I was just kidding about the gender thing. They took no offense. Besides, I've already told them about you and I and our special times together in that foxhole during the war."

The other attendees in the room laughed. General Dodson blushed and scowled at the same time, "That's not funny. I was never in any goddamned foxhole with you."

The priest snickered, "It's okay, Dodson. The courts are considering _Don't Ask Don't Tell_ as we speak. You and General M can soon go public with your love."

Dodson retorted, "I wouldn't go there if I were you, Patrick. At least me and M are consenting _adults._ Leave the altar boys alone, why don't you."

The smile suddenly disappeared from Father Patrick's round red face, replaced by a slight sneer.

General Cavanaugh wasn't amused. He was by far the most serious of the three generals, perhaps because he was the only one who reported directly to the President. He was a few years older than both Dodson and Hammer, who had attended army military college together.

Cavanaugh's full head of white hair exuded gravitas and a commanding air. His words said he was annoyed, but his demeanor was controlled. "Fuck. Look, can we get started? Who called this damn meeting anyway? And why the fuck are you always late, M? You think the rest of us have nothing but time to waste? I think you do this shit deliberately."

M started to answer, but Helena interrupted him, "I'm sorry, General Cavanaugh. We got more reports about Sookie Stackhouse and we needed to follow up."

Cavanaugh replied, a bit skeptical, "What's to investigate? She's still missing, right?"

M interjected, "Yes, she is. We had some leads suggesting she was alive but not in Bon Temps. The leads didn't provide anything concrete."

Afrida, the beautiful blonde, leaned over and whispered to Helena, "Did you enjoy my show. It was especially for you."

Helena shivered slightly as Afrida caressed her thigh. She murmured back, "Have you forgotten that the table is made of glass?"

Afrida reluctantly removed her hand, then quipped, "So am I, Helena. So am I."

Dodson and Hammer noticed the intimate conversation between Afrida and Helena, and the thigh caress. Hammer leered, "Would you two ladies like to be excused so you can make love in private?"

Dodson protested, "No, no. Please, don't do that, ladies. Stay."

Afrida calmly replied, "We are angels. Angels do not make love. We are love."

Dodson pursed his lips excitedly, "Love is a hobby of mine. And taxonomy." He eyed Afrida's crotch, "I like stuffing things."

"How lovely, but from the looks of things down under I am a much bigger package than you really need," Afrida smiled and glared, not intimidated by Dodson and Hammer's sexually aggressive behavior.

M chuckled. The witches smirked.

"Pretty-pretty," Hammer teased.

Afrida retorted, "My name isn't pretty-pretty. It's Barbarella."

Hammer squeezed his crotch, "Then come find Durand-Durand."

"Durand, honey, you're so much more wrinkled than I remember. Age really hasn't been kind to you. Perhaps you should try bathing in aloe vera. I hear it works wonders." Afrida spoke in a high-pitched voice, as if seeing a long lost old friend and smiled wryly, eyeing Hammer's crotch and casually swinging her crossing her leg.

This time, even the priest and the witches laughed out loud.

Cavanaugh said, "Enough of this juvenile shit. I never thought I'd say this, but we need a goddamn human resources officer at these meetings. This is fucking ridiculous. Can we do some goddamn work and you guys can choke your chickens on your own time?"

Hammer interjected, "Fine by me. Can someone explain to me again why the fuck do we care so much about this Stackhouse woman anyway?"

M replied, "We care about her because the vampire leadership in Bon Temps cares about her. They seem to think she is the key to something."

"The key to dealing with vampires in Bon Temps is the same as the key to dealing with vampires everywhere. Annihilation." Dodson hammered the table, making his point.

Cavanaugh, answered, "The President hasn't given the go ahead for that, Dodson. Until he does, our weapons are limited to intrigue and negotiation."

Hammer scoffed, "We'll get that order sometime after half the country has been eaten."

M interrupted, "We're not repeating this discussion again. You keep insisting there's some major difference among presidents, or parties for that matter. There isn't. I've served under 19 presidents. I should know."

A phone rang. Marigold, the witch, interrupted, "That will be Professor Bevel. Can we at least _pretend_ to be professional?"

Marigold clicked a button on a videophone on the table. A man's image came up on a giant wall monitor. Marigold greeted the man, "Good morning, Professor Bevel. Everyone's here."

And to Cavanaugh, Marigold scowled, "Oh, and I called the meeting."

Cavanaugh and the other generals rolled their eyes.

Prof. Bevel said, "It's a pleasure to speak with all of you. Did everyone read my report? I sent it a month ago."

Everyone responded _yes _except the three generals. Marigold and the other three witches glared at them.

M replied, "Those of us who cared read the report, Prof. Bevel. It seems that Marigold and her faction of witches wanted support for their positions, so they've enlisted you."

Prof. Bevel interjected, "Well, sir, not exactly. My colleagues and I have been studying the Egyptian pyramids for over a decade, so …"

M cut him off, "Yes, you have a theory that the pyramids are more than 12,000 years old. And that the pyramids are not tombs, but in fact gigantic power plants that were used to travel through time and space?"

Prof. Bevel replied excitedly, "Yes, that's it in a nutshell. Most Egyptologists think that the Great Pyramid and its companion structures were constructed by the Pharoah Khufu to be used as a tomb, and that they are about 4500 years old. However, Khufu's own historical records state that Khufu was not the builder of the Great Pyramid, but merely the caretaker. The pyramids had been there for an untold amount of time when he took the throne."

Marigold chimed in, "And you believe the pyramids and our civilization is much older, don't you Dr. Bevel?"

Prof. Bevel answered, "Yes, I do. First, there is an inscription on the Great Pyramid which reads, _Zep Tepi_, which means 'the first time.' We believe that the positioning of the pyramids gives the answer to when they were first built, that is, the first time they came into existence."

Helena asked, "And how do you know that this time that you refer to as "the first time" was more than 12,000 years ago?"

Prof. Bevel's eyes lit up, "The ancients believed in the concept of _as above, so below_." The witches all nodded.

"They built the structures on the ground to mirror the celestial bodies in the sky," Prof. Bevel continued. "The Nile River mirrored the Milky Way. And the three pyramids mirror Orion's belt. Moreover, the structures on the ground not only mirror certain bodies in the sky, they mirror them when they were in a specific position in the sky. In other words, it mirrors them at a _particular time_."

The room was silent. The generals remained skeptical, but they were at least paying attention. Dodson said, "Ok, I'll bite. You still haven't explained how you know what that particular time is. Why do you say civilization existed more than 12,000 years ago?"

Prof. Bevel, "My colleagues and I are not archaeologists, like most Egyptologists. I, for example, am an astrophysicist. We therefore looked at the pyramids with different eyes. My colleague who is a geologist believes that the weathering patterns on the pyramids are consistent with water, not sand as is popularly believed. The last time that the pyramids were part of a rainy climate was approximately 10,000 B.C. Here is an artist rendering of what the landscape would have looked like at that time."

The camera zoomed in on a picture of the pyramids surrounded by lush green grass instead of desert. Afrida abruptly stopped fidgeting her leg and leaned forward. She gazed at the picture in rapt concentration. Helena studied Afrida. She tried to make eye contact to ask her what was wrong, but Afrida was too absorbed in the picture.

Helena asked, "Is that the only reason you believe the pyramids were built so long ago? Just the weathering patterns on the rocks?"

Prof. Bevel responded excitedly, "Oh no. I noticed that right now what's on the ground does not line up with what's in the sky. I have a software program that can dial back the clock, so to speak. I went back in time to the first period in which everything on the ground lined up exactly with what's in the sky. The year I derived was 10,500 B.C. In that year, the Nile River mirrors exactly the Milky Way in the sky. And the three pyramids line up exactly with the stars of Orion's belt."

Prof. Bevel showed a picture of the night sky and the pyramids on the ground to illustrate his point. He continued, "But the most important proof is the Sphinx. The Egyptians believed the Sun and the advent of spring to be a very sacred time. It is memorialized in monuments and throughout Egyptian topography. The Sphinx gazes directly at the Sun on the Spring Equinox. The Sun also rises with a constellation in the background. During Khufu's reign, the Sun rose in the constellation of Taurus on the Spring Equinox. Due to gradual movements of the Earth on its axis, a phenomenon called precession, the background constellation changes roughly every 2,800 years."

Everyone in the room stared blankly. Prof. Bevel calmly explained, "Let's assume that the pyramids were built around 4500 B.C, during Khufu's reign, and that the design and layout of the structures commemorates when it was built. This is kind of like how we today have a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate a new building.

Why would the Egyptians build a monument to the constellation of Taurus by using a lion? The answer is that they wouldn't. They are not stupid. We therefore believe that the very structure of the Sphinx tells us when it was built, and it was not during the age of Taurus. It was most likely the age of Leo, based on the monument of the Sphinx. So we asked, at what time did the Sun rising on the Spring Equinox live in the house of Leo? At what time would the leonine Sphinx have been gazing at its own image in the sky?"

M stated, a bit cynically, "Let me guess, the year 10,500 B.C.?"

Prof. Bevel didn't notice M's skepticism. "Exactly, sir."

Hammer, "What the fuck does this have to do with killing vampires?"

Prof. Bevel stammered, confused, "W-well, I'm not sure about that. But this theory is important for our time because we believe that the pyramids act as power generators, but only during certain time periods. These energy fields are created during certain celestial configurations that change the Earth's magnetic energy."

Marigold added, "And we are entering one of those energy periods right now. It is the dawning of the astrological age of Aquarius, the zodiacal opposite of Leo." The other three witches, who almost never seemed to talk at these meetings, nodded.

Helena asked, "What does that mean?"

Marigold answered, "It means that in the coming years, maybe months, the Earth's energy will change and can be harnessed in ways that were not previously possible. It means that creatures on the Earth will have greater sensitivity and abilities. It means that certain doorways will be open that were previously closed, allowing us to transcend astral planes, space, and even time itself."

Dodson sneered, "Fuckin' new age bullshit."

Marigold glared at Dodson, "Many of us will use this period to evolve into better beings. We will seek higher states of consciousness. Others of us will remain the same Neanderthals we've always been. We'll try to use the Earth's new energy to destroy rather than create."

M interrupted, "Well, Mary …"

The witch interrupted, "Marigold."

M continued, "Marigold, this is the Vampire Assimilation Program." M made air quotes out of the pointer and middle fingers on both hands as he said the word _assimilation_.

"The purpose of the VA Program is to contain the vampire problem. How does Mr. Bevel's theory help us with that?"

Marigold relented. "Normally I don't support destruction, but vampires are destruction incarnate, so … We can use the Earth's new energy to harness the power of the Sun itself. We can transform the sun itself and use it to destroy vampires."

The generals' faces lit up. Hammer said, "Well, it seems the witches have finally brought something useful to this discussion. When can we start making these weapons?"

Marigold replied, "Soon, based on the signs in the stars. Today, June 13, 2010 is an auspicious day. Uranus, which is radical change, Jupiter which is luck, Mercury, which is a messenger of the gods are aligned on one side of the Sun. Planet Earth, Venus, which is love, Mars, which is war, and Saturn, which is fate are aligned on the other side of the Sun."

M droned, "And let me guess, the moon is in the seventh house."

Marigold replied, just as cynically, "Well, M, I'm surprised. You've been listening."

M said, "Mary, I …"

Marigold spat back, visibly annoyed, "Marigold."

Helena interrupted, "Stop it, M."

M continued, smiling slightly, "I hate to disappoint you but the _Age of Aquarius_ is just a song. And the Fifth Dimension only said _Jupiter aligns with Mars_ because they needed something that rhymed with _stars._"

The tall but round priest with a shock of red hair had become increasingly agitated during this entire exchange. He stood up angrily and said, "I've come to these stupid meetings for over a decade. You people are a joke. This vampire threat is real, but you all sit in the safety of your bunker 30 feet below ground and talk about nonsense."

The priest slapped several photos of dead people, their throats shredded, onto the table. "These are my parishioners. Good decent people. Those … things came into my church and killed them for sport. What is my government doing about it? Nothing."

Marigold retorted, "Patrick, cut the sanctimony. I hate most vampires as much as you do. But we both know that your church has killed far more innocent people than vampires."

"Fuck you, witch. Why are you even here?" Patrick retorted.

M interjected, "She and her fellow witches are here for the same reason you're here, Patrick. They are United States citizens who have resources that they are willing to devote to protect their country. Your church has money and political influence. They have magic and mystical knowledge."

Marigold regarded M with pleasant surprise.

M smiled at her, "Marigold, contrary to what you might think, I do listen to you. Intently. It's just that I find most of what you say to be unsubstantiated bullshit."

The witch's face shifted into a scowl.

M continued, unfazed, "And yes, I call you Mary to be deliberately annoying. Sorry about that. Until I do it again," M smiled mischievously, "However, I'm more than 110 years old. I've lived long enough to never dismiss anything, no matter how unbelievable it sounds. In this instance, you're right."

Cavanaugh asked, "How do you know that?"

M answered, "Because we have several state of the art anti-vampire weapons – AV weapons for short. Many of them already harness the Earth's own energy and duplicate the power of the sun."

Prof. Bevel nervously interjected, "Sir, I'm not comfortable with this. This power is unfathomable, and so much is unknown about it."

M responded, "Sorry you feel that way, Prof. Bevel. But getting funding from the federal government is a two-edged sword. If your research is successful, you no longer control the agenda. Your government does."

Hammer interjected, "What are these weapons?"

M listed them off, "Sunray bullets, little packets of light that enter a vampire's body, then explode. Sun lasers, which emit a concentrated beam of light that disintegrates a vampire on contact. Tracking devices equipped with remote sunray detonators.

Smart bugs laced with silver. They move in the body to evade detection and removal. And when the Earth's magnetic field completely transitions, we'll have several towers that literally create an artificial sun that can be beamed hundreds of miles in any direction. We will own both the day and the night."

Cavanaugh's jaw dropped, "That's fucking incredible. You mean we're on equal footing with those dead fuckers?"

M corrected Cavanaugh, mimicking his words and inflection, "No. We're on a superior footing compared to those dead fuckers. They just don't know it yet. But they will. Soon."

Helena added, "We've even found promising uses for our internal monitoring of bodily functions. We're not sure of exactly how we'll use that information, but we're starting to get some ideas."

Marigold asked, "Helena, what do you mean by _monitoring of bodily functions_? Vampires are dead. They don't have bodily functions.

Helena responded, "No, Marigold. That's not true. Vampires don't have the same bodily functions as they did when they were human. But they do have internal activity that can be measured. We've just been using different instruments.

For example, a vampire's blood flow changes dramatically based on its emotional state. We learned that by comparing recorded conversations with the data we were getting from the body function monitors. When the vampire was in a stressful situation, as evidenced by what we could hear via surveillance, the bodily functions of that vampire showed drastically different readings than when they were in a calm state.

We've also detected a humming in the area where the heart is in humans."

Marigold asked, "Tell me you're not trying to say vampires have a … heart, a heart beat," disapproving of the thought as she said it.

Helena explained, "No, not a heart beat, but it is something that seems to approximate certain heart-type functions. No, it does not pump blood through the vampire, at least we don't think so or know that yet.

The best analogy I can give you to describe the hum is it's like an electric current. Sometimes the vampire is calm, and the current is like a gentle stream. At other times the vampire is angry or scared or …"

Afrida interjected, "Sexually aroused." Everyone turned to regard the sexy blonde for a long moment. She smirked as her eyes scanned her colleagues in the room.

Helena continued, ignoring the comment, "Then the current is like a raging river."

M added, "Actually the analogy to electricity is very appropriate, since we've been able to monitor this vampire bond using the same kind of technology that we use to measure electrical voltage.

Another thing that's quite interesting is the data on this hum that we've gotten from a vampire and its vampire maker. We discovered that there is a synchronization between the two hums, a kind of communication. And it appears that at least some vampires can turn it on and off. We're still learning how this all works."

Cavanaugh was extremely impressed, "That's incredible. So, so with these weapons, we can make it possible to subject vampires to the same rules the rest of us have to follow. Investigation, arrest, detainment, imprisonment, interrogation, torture, death."

M replied, "Yes, all the things we love."

M looked at the screen and addressed Prof. Bevel, "Professor, thank you for the report. A check is being wired to your fund account later today."

Prof. Bevel objected, "I'll have to think about whether I want that money. I, I'm a pacifist. I don't want to destroy vampires. Most of them are decent people."

Dodson growled at the screen, "Listen you little fuck. Soldiers like me fight so that little shits like you get to say _I'm a pacifist_. You're on the payroll, whether you like it or not."

M checked his watch. Prof. Bevel looked shocked. He was about to say something else, when M cut him off. "Professor, we appreciate your report and your work. Your country thanks you. I have another appointment. We're signing off now."

Prof. Bevel protested, as M stood and walked around the table toward the witches. "You can't just take my research. This is unconstitutional. It's wr -."

General M pressed a button on the phone and disconnected the video conference. Prof. Bevel disappeared and the screen went blank, then switched to alternating images of Satellite Draco and Planet Earth.

M turned to Quinn and Afrida, "You two may need to pay Dr. Bevel a visit. Help him understand the profound value of his work to his country."

Afrida nodded, while Quinn stared blankly. M asked General Cavanaugh, "When is the last time you spoke with Chancellor Zimojic?"

"I spoke with Roman last week," Cavanaugh answered.

"Roman. Ohhh, Roman, wherefore art thou, Roman. It's not a good thing to fellate where you work, Cav." Hammer glared at Cavanaugh. "It can be hard," Hammer chuckled at his own double entendre, "to see things clearly from that perspective."

Dodson interjected, "However, as evidenced by the cafeteria on level 12 and Generals Helena and Afrida, _eating _where you work is positively encouraged." Both Afrida and Helena glared at Dodson.

Cavanaugh responded as if he heard none of this. "Hammer, my work with Roman has kept this vampire mainstreaming program in order for the past twenty years. My job is to keep it in order, and I think …"

Hammer cut him off. "Did you know that we are starting to pick up hints of a superiority movement within vampire leadership, including the American Vampire Authority, headed by your good friend Roman Zimojic. Isn't that right, M?"

Several people at the table asked what Hammer was talking about. Hammer turned to M for support. "Sanguinista, is it, M?"

"What's that?" several people asked.

M sighed and answered, "It's a religious movement popular among a faction of vampires. They believe in a literal interpretation of their vampire bible…"

Dodson asked, incredulous, "Vampires have a bible? Now I've heard everything."

"You shouldn't be surprised. Most sentient entities have a spiritual belief system," Helena interjected.

"And they believe?" asked Dodson.

Hammer chimed in, "Basically that humans are for eating, fucking and killing, not for being all equal with vampires, as this stupid mainstreaming hoax purports."

"What does Chancellor Roman say about this, General Cavanaugh?" Marigold asked.

Cavanaugh spoke in a measured tone, choosing his words carefully. "Roman is aware that there are subversive elements within vampire ranks, including within the leadership. Apparently, Russell Edgington has become a folk hero to some of them.

Father Patrick asked, "Is that the vampire who killed the -"

"Newscaster on live television, yes." M finished. "We're not going to solve every vampire emergency today. Sooooo. This has been a lovely meeting Mary." The witch shot daggers at M. "But now, Quinn and I need to test some weapons."

"What weapons?" Cavanaugh asked.

"Freeze framers and cold seeking sun ray missiles in a controlled environment," M replied. "This weekend Quinn and Afrida will conduct field tests."

"What? Wait, what?" Cavanaugh asked, somewhat excited.

M turned to his son and gestured for him to talk. "Colonel Quinn, please."

Quinn spoke in his characteristic monotone, "Vampires have the advantage of superhuman speed. A freeze framer is a tracking device attached to a sunray laser. It processes a vampire's super fast movement and predicts it. This allows a human shooter to aim where the vampire _is going to be_."

The generals nodded, impressed.

Quinn continued, quite serious and sounding like Dr. Spock from _Star Trek_, "Cold seeking missiles work the same as heat seeking missiles, except they are drawn to objects that are cooler temperatures than their surroundings. Shoot this weapon in a room full of humans and vampires, and the missile will seek out only vampires, which have a cooler body temperature than humans."

General Dodson interjected, "Some non-vampires have colder body temperatures than humans." He eyed Afrida as he made the joke.

Afrida responded, "He says _speculatively_."

Not wanting to be left out, Hammer retorted, "You know, I can think of many better uses for that mouth of yours, pretty-pretty."

Afrida, totally at ease, came back with, "Yes, Hammer. I know you wanted me to come over and shout tips to help you improve your strokes into Dodson, but alas I am busy. I told you, maybe next weekend."

It was hard to tell who disliked Afrida's retort more, Dodson or Hammer. Hammer turned to Quinn, "Don't let the women get hold of that weapon, Quinn. They may set it to go after only men. Our balls run a bit cool, you know." Hammer leered at Afrida, "Why, some ladies in this room would love to blow up my balls, I'm sure."

Dodson laughed, until Afrida glared at him and retorted a bit too sweetly, "And some men in this room would love to _blow_ your balls, General Hammer."

This all went above Quinn's head. He responded seriously as people started packing their things to leave, "You would not have to worry about your balls General Hammer. Vampires are anywhere from 85 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on how recently they've consumed human blood. The temperature setting on the cold seeking weapon goes no higher than that. Human testicles range in temperature between 94 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit."

Afrida, Helena and M smirked. Everyone else in the room stared at Quinn, somewhat dumbstruck.

Dodson recovered and quipped, "Quinn, you modern man, you! General Hammer thanks you, Mr. Roboto. He's been holding his balls for weeks because he was afraid of these weapons getting into the wrong hands." Dodson glanced at Afrida. The witches, fairies and wolf girls laughed, some trying to contain an eruption of giggles. Hammer scowled.

Dodson turned to Hammer and said, "Hammer, good news. Kilroy, our modern man here, says your balls are safe, so you can quit holding them." Father Patrick guffawed. Even Cavanaugh, who normally didn't care as much for this type of back and forth, stifled a laugh.

Dodson turned to Quinn. He stood pointing to the picture of Planet Earth on the television screen and asked, "Isn't that right, Kilroy? Tell Hammer the AV weapons will protect Planet Earth and leave his balls alone. So he doesn't have to hold them anymore."

Quinn turned to Hammer and earnestly said, "That is correct, General Hammer. You can release your balls, sir. They are safe."

_**~~ Low background music (Mr. Roboto) begins. **__I'm Kilroy, Kilroy, Kilroy, Kilroy … __**Low background music (Mr. Roboto) ends. ~~**_

Afrida turned to Quinn, still bored, but smiling at Quinn affectionately. "Thanks, Quinn. Just when I thought these meetings couldn't get any weirder, you've so proven me wrong."

* * *

_Only came outside to watch the nightfall with the rain_  
_I heard you making patterns rhyme_  
_Like some new romantic looking for the TV sound_  
_You'll see I'm right some other time_

_Look now, look all around, there's no sign of life_  
_Voices, another sound, can you hear me now?_  
_This is planet earth, you're looking at planet earth_  
_Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop this is planet earth_

_My head is stuck on something precious_  
_Let me know if you're coming down to land_  
_Is there anybody out there trying to get through?_  
_My eyes are so cloudy I can't see you_

_Look now, look all around, there's no sign of life_  
_Voices, another sound, can you hear me now?_  
_This is planet earth, you're looking at planet earth_

_Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop_  
_This is planet earth_  
_Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop_  
_Calling planet earth_  
_Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop_  
_Looking at planet earth_  
_Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop_  
_This is planet earth_

**Ending Credits Song: _Planet Earth _by Duran Duran**

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movie quotes in this chapter include quotes from _2001: A Space Odyssey, Psycho, Barbarella, Star Trek _and _Blade Runner._

(2) I am posting links to a video of _2001: A Space Odyssey's _Discovery One, which shows what Satellite Draco looks like, the _Blade Runner _interview, _Mr. Roboto_, _Planet Earth_ and _Blue Danube_, and other background, on the Zeta boards fanfiction website. Google: **zetaboards 8519476 fanfiction. **It should be the first website.

(3) The information regarding the age of the pyramids and how we know they may be more than 12,000 years old and the significance of that possibility is based on actual research by Professors Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval. A lot of the information presented by Dr. Bevel in this chapter is based on the book entitled _The Message of the Sphinx_ by Bauval and Hancock.

(4) The June 13, 2010 planetary alignment actually occurred as described in this story. I included a link to a news story on Zeta Boards.

(5) The band Duran Duran, which sings this chapter's closing song, _Planet Earth,_ derived its name from the character, Durand-Durand in the 1968 film _Barbarella_, which starred Jane Fonda. Afrida has more than a bit of Barbarella in her.

(6) In addition to the title song, soundtrack songs in this chapter include _Mr. Roboto_ by Styx and _Blue Danube Waltz_ by Johann Strauss II.


	6. VA Weapons, Helena, Afrida & Devo

**Chapter 6: Planet Earth**

******Subtitle: Breathe**

(VA Weapons Testing; Helena, Afrida & Devo; The Man From Dallas)

_**Author's Note: **_Okay, I said you'd get a new chapter in a week, but I got motivated by folks who enjoyed the first part of Chapter 1. I cannot promise you I will update such long chapters so fast, but I decided to finish this one a little early. Now I really am going to take a break so I can stay ahead of readers with the writing. Someone wise told me to always under-promise and over-deliver, and not the other way around. So here it is, a Saturday surprise.

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**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story. This chapter gives you more character development, as well as some naughty parts. In other words, the things we love. :)

**I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.**

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

_**Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Sunday, June 13, 2010**_

_**AV Weapons Testing**_

Quinn and General M walked in their typical lockstep fashion down yet another long white hallway. Patrick, the priest, and the three generals followed closely behind them. They entered a narrow corridor that led to an expansive open area. On the other side of that area was a giant metal door labeled _AV Testing._ Quinn punched a code onto a keypad on the wall, and the metal door slid open.

Patrick the priest, looking confused, asked, "How do you find your way around this place? Every hallway on every floor looks the same."

Cavanaugh quipped, "That's part of the charm."

Hammer regarded M this whole time. He remarked, somewhat sarcastically, "General M enjoys the intrigue . . . and the power, don't you, M?"

"With power comes responsibility, General Hammer," M said cautiously. He had learned that General Hammer's questions always had an underlying motive.

As M predicted, Hammer had another jibe, "Yes, I know all about responsibility, but then again, I have people to answer to. A whole slew of them in Washington. But you on the other hand don't seem to answer to anyone," Hammer sneered.

M retorted, "I answer to the President. I've answered to nineteen of them, to be exact. If you have an issue with this program or its power, you're always free to take it up with our current President O-…"

Hammer interjected, now bordering on visibly angry, "Oh, I have, M. I have taken it up with him, and several Presidents before him. They all sing your praises. But I'm guessing you provide your President with an off budget army and a few other perks and he's forever grateful."

Hammer grabbed M by the arm. He tried turning him, then tried to hide his shock at M's sheer immovability. M turned slowly, deliberately, and faced Hammer. His emerald green eyes piercing into Hammer's blue ones.

Hammer was a bit unnerved by the brief spike of fear that projected up his spine, but this just made him angrier. He sneered, "Why are you a general? You and your … wife, is she? And your blonde whore? The cunt looks good. I'll give her that. But she's still a shameless whore. You're not even human. I think that's a security risk in and of itself."

General M's voice deepened, but he spoke calmly. The other men, except for General Dodson, took a step back, looking a bit nervous now. "We received our ranks of distinction from General Douglas MacArthur, who also gave me my name. Unlike you, he was a man of great character and honor, so much so that I refuse to call myself by his full name. Until I do something worthy of it, that is."

M pressed his chiseled chest into Hammer and looked down into his eyes. He smiled when he smelled Hammer's fear. He continued, "Our government created us to be the perfect soldiers. To do jobs that humans were afraid or incapable of doing. To clean up your messes, and to save you from the treasonous greed of so-called citizens."

Dodson tried to separate the men. "Gentlemen, I think we're losing focus. Testing?"

M, undeterred, continued, "I have served my country with honor. As have General Helena, Colonel Quinn, and General Afrida. You and I have the same rank. You don't have to like it, but you will respect it. And if you ever insult my family, which includes General Afrida, you'll be paying a visit to Comstack Infirmary."

General Hammer swallowed hard but held his ground. Cavanaugh grabbed Hammer by the arm and pulled him away from M. He patted him amiably on the back as he joked, "Come, gentlemen. Bulls like us get a little antsy when we've been cooped up for too long. What you two need is a good war, which I understand is on the horizon. Let's kill some corpses."

Dodson pulled Hammer along. They shared a look as they walked down the hallway behind M and Cavanaugh. Hammer ran a hand through his hair and shook off the tension on his face. Father Patrick looked nervously back and forth, a little overwhelmed by the exchange that had just happened.

A few seconds went by. Then General M spoke as if nothing had happened, turning his head slightly toward Patrick, who was behind him, "I asked you to stay, Father O'Malley, because I thought today's testing would be of special interest to you."

Father Patrick O'Malley didn't reply. He simply looked around, still a little cautious after the testy exchange between M and Hammer. The men passed a series of glass holding cells, five of them contained a single person, a total of four men and one woman. The cell's occupants glared or stood up in response as the men walked by.

General M directed the priest and three generals to a sitting area located behind a glass wall. The seating area looked out onto a large open room about the size of half a football field. The floor was covered with a green material that looked like grass or AstroTurf. The room's ceiling was 40 feet high.

Quinn walked around and then appeared in an enclosed room on the opposite side of the seating area. He positioned himself at a desk that faced a large tilted dashboard. The controls on the dashboard connected to a monitor on a wall to Quinn's right. He entered data into the keyboard, which registered on the monitor. He affixed a headset with a microphone to his head. He spoke into the microphone, "Testing, Colonel Quinn."

The generals looked around as Quinn's robotic voice emanated throughout the field area. Along the wall perpendicular to the control room holding Quinn and the seating area holding the priest and generals was the row of holding cells. The cell's occupants had all turned to face the open field.

General M stepped onto the middle of the open field. He was now free of his jacket, dressed in his uniform slacks and a white T-shirt. His body was adorned with various weapons, including four holstered guns.

Quinn spoke into the tiny receiver that descended from the headphones just below his lips, "General M, I'm releasing prisoner number 1."

General M regarded Quinn and nodded. Quinn pressed a button, and one of the doors stood open. The man inside the cell didn't move. He and M stood in their positions, regarding each other.

M turned as if he was walking away. Suddenly the man sped toward him at a speed impossible for a human. M smoothly withdrew one of the guns from its holster and aimed in the opposite direction. The generals and the priest leaned forward, panicky, because it seemed that General M was not in control and had misfired his weapon.

The man, clearly a vampire, was on top of General M, pinning him to the ground. The projectile emitted by M's weapon, which looked like a blurred stream of orange light, reversed its course and circled around toward the vampire. Just as the vampire was about to sink his teeth into General M's neck, the orange projectile pierced his back. A pile of red goo splattered all over M.

M got up without missing a beat and moved to the end of the field farthest away from the holding cells. Quinn gave no warning this time as he pressed a button. Another holding cell door opened. This time its vampire occupant wasted no time charging for General M. M removed a different gun, which he held in front of him. A red light beeped for little more than a second before turning green. The word _lock_ appeared in the viewer of M's weapon and he aimed. The gun fired and the vampire transformed into a pile of goo a few feet away from M.

Cavanaugh called out, "It looked like that corpse ran into the bullet."

M called back, "He did. The freeze frame program tracked his movements and predicted his next steps, quite accurately."

The generals nodded approvingly. General M made goo of two more vampires in similarly efficient fashion. He burned the woman with a sunray. He seared another man with sun bullets blasted from a semi-automatic gun.

General M strode confidently across the field. "I saved the best for last. In the near future, before we are given the go ahead for a full military offensive, law enforcement will be the first responders. They will deal with vampires suspected of crimes in much the same way as human suspects."

The generals gave M their rapt attention. M continued, "There will be times when a vampire suspect will be useful alive."

"Uhmm, not goo," M corrected himself. "This weapon gives law enforcement the ability to do that."

The fifth cell door slid open. The last vampire, an imposing male a bit larger than General M, walked confidently toward M. He bared his fangs. M loaded his semi-automatic deftly as the vampire sped toward him.

M sprayed bullets at the vampire. Many of the bullets hit the glass walls, but a few hit the vampire, who dropped to the ground with a thud. M leaned down and grabbed the vampire by the collar.

M stated, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court law. And so on."

M slammed the vampire's face into the glass wall of the seating area. "Father O'Malley, do you recognize this face? I believe he is one of the vampires who massacred your parishioners. Am I correct?"

"Y-y-yes," the priest stammered. "There were three others."

M questioned the vampire, "Mr. Allen, what are the names of your three friends who made dinner of the good people of Our Lady of the Assumption?"

No answer. M placed a sun bullet in a silver coated arrow. He pressed the tip of the arrow containing the bullet into the vampire's chest, which elicited a harrowing scream.

M repeated, "Names?"

The vampire moaned, "I don't know their names."

M removed a large piece of metal from his pants pocket. He then handcuffed the vampire as he spoke, "I'm going to do something nice. Instead of several shards of silver piercing your body, I'm going to put on these handcuffs. They're made of silver, but the outer layer keeps the silver away from your skin. It weakens you without burning you."

M used the large piece of metal, a magnet, to draw out the silver from the vampire's body. The vampire screamed as each shard of metal was pulled from his body to the surface of his skin, where it attached itself to the magnet.

M calmly expressed himself, as he pulled the weakened vampire to a sitting position, "The problem with vampires, is that you think you answer to no one, no governmental authority. You come to this country, use our resources, enjoy the rights that our democratic republic gives to you, and behave with no regard for the law.

The generals nodded, enthusiastically supporting M's monologue to the huge vampire, who looked like a small child as he lay curled up on the ground.

M pressed, "Names?"

"I don't know," the vampire whimpered.

Quinn quickly interjected, "His internal monitor data indicates dishonesty."

"You know how I know you're lying?" M asked. "First, we are monitoring your blood flow and the voltage of your internal hum, both of which say you are nervous, not just about the bullets you are dodging but about something else. Second, vampires are quite territorial when it comes to feeding. They don't share meals with strangers. And you, Mr. Allen, were definitely sharing a rather bountiful feast. Last time, names?"

M threatened to push the arrow with the sun bullet against the vampire's face. The vampire recoiled and weakly put up his hands. "Ok, ok," he begged. "The vampires' names are Doyle Harper, Erica Simmons and Hugh, something, I don't know his last name, honest."

"Where can I find them?" M asked.

"They practically live at the sheriff's house, in her nest," the vampire answered.

Father Patrick asked, incredulous, "the sheriff of San Francisco. Sheriff Abrams? He's a man."

General M clarified, "No, not the human sheriff. The vampire sheriff of California Area 2, Arianna Devereaux."

The vampire fretted, "They're going to kill me."

General M patted the vampire's head. "No, they won't."

The vampire looked confused, then slightly hopeful. His expression slowly turned to horror as he watched General M aim a cold seeking projectile into his gun and fire it away from the vampire. The bullet quickly circled, changing course and made a beeline for the vampire.

"Noooo!" the vampire's scream was cut off as he turned to a pile of red muck.

_**General Dodson Makes a Bold Move**_

The testing of anti-vampire weapons was over. General M stood before a mirror, freshly showered, combing his hair. Quinn stood next to him.

"Well, Quinn, everything we tested today looks ready for field testing. Assuming you and Afrida have the same success on Saturday as we did today, we can prepare a rollout to law enforcement in hot spots around the country."

A voice boomed behind Quinn and M, "Very impressive. You must be so pleased with yourself. General Dodson emerged from around the corner.

"You know," Dodson smirked, "I've got a higher clearance than the fucking President, and yet even to me, it is a mystery exactly what the four of you are. There aren't any records to be found anywhere. Just rumors."

M and Quinn faced Dodson. M regarded Dodson blankly for several seconds, then eventually asked, "Picking up where General Hammer left off? Do you two do everything together? You don't have to keep your love secret around here. We accept you as you are."

Dodson, as M predicted, turned red with anger. Veins popped out on his neck. He spoke, barely able to contain himself, "A man in my position . . . there are almost no secrets. I know who killed Kennedy – not Lee Harvey Oswald, by the way. I know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried. He died an old man after being enrolled in a federal relocation program. Elvis lives . . . Well, kind of. He's a vampire."

M and Quinn still kept quiet, as Dodson scowled, "All those secrets known to me. Yet you two and Helena … and Afrida … are a mystery. Some say you are vampires, or only part vampires, since you walk around in the day.

Others say you're part fairy, or werewolf, or all of these, or something else. You were created by our government, but there are no records. Some say Afrida is a nymph, or a nymphomaniac. I can't be sure. The only thing I know is that she is a General in the United States Army and, like you, Quinn and Helena, there's no paper trail of how you even came to be military officers. Not even medical reports, which the Army loves more than $500.00 rolls of toilet paper. Now why is that?"

M responded, a hint of threat in his voice, "Seems there was a fire …"

Dodson interrupted, "Yes, a fire. January 1953, during the tail end of the Truman administration, I believe. You were how old then, M?"

"Fifty, "M calmly answered."

Dodson turned to Quinn, "And you? How old were you, Quinn?"

Quinn answered in his usual monotone, "Sixteen."

Dodson rushed forward and grabbed Quinn by the throat. M remained calm and made eye contact with Quinn, slightly shaking his head, _Don't move, Quinn._

"And yet you don't look over a century old, M. And the boyish Quinn here certainly doesn't look to be in his seventies. You seem, oh, early thirty-ish. And Quinn not a day over twenty-five." Dodson pressed a gun to Quinn's temple.

Quinn stood limply as Dodson tightened his grip on his neck. Dodson growled, "What are you?"

M answered, unflinching, "Bored are we, General Dodson? You know what we are. Soldiers. Created by the United States government. We helped win the greatest war ever fought. I was scaling the beaches of Normandy and Helena was instigating the overthrow of Mussolini before your father prematurely ejaculated you into your mother."

Dodson winced at the insult and tightened his grip even more, curious about why he was unable to elicit any sign of pain from Quinn. He asked, "Are you immortal, Quinn? Are you a robot? It's been a successful day of testing. Let's test that theory."

M, looking bored, checked his watch, "Whatever theory you intend to test, I suggest you hurry it along. By my estimation you have about 30 seconds."

_**A Brief Encounter Between Generals Helena and Afrida**_

Helena strolled with purpose down a long, stark white hallway. A handsome young man dressed in an army uniform moved out of her way and greeted her with a salute and a smile, "Afternoon, General Helena."

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Miller," Helena responded warmly.

Helena rounded a corner into an empty hallway. She found herself abruptly pulled into a dark storage closet. Before she could say anything, Helena felt moist lips pressed against her own, and a warm tongue pushing into her mouth. Helena parted her lips and moaned. The entrancing and complex scents of olive oil, almonds, coriander, myrtle and the orangey smell of bergamot herbs permeating the tiny closet told Helena the identity of the kisser. That, and the pillowy melon-sized breasts pressing into her chest.

Helena attempted to pull her head back, but undaunted lips followed hers, continuing the kiss. Strong insistent hands pushed Helena into a shelf. Something small and semi-hard fell on Helena's head. Helena ignored the falling projectile as she moved her hands over the kisser's supple bosom, which was mostly exposed thanks to a zipper pulled perilously low. Helena pulled the zipper further down, reached inside and squeezed two hardened, sensitive nubs.

The kisser moaned into Helena's mouth. Helena's caress was an invitation that summoned her ardent attacker to roam eager hands over the length of her body, from her soft, full breasts down to her flat, slightly muscular stomach. Helena felt both hands meet at her waist, deftly unfastening her belt, unsnapping the button securing her slacks and yanking her zipper down. A slender but strong finger slipped downward past her underwear into hot, moist folds. A loud click cut through sighs and moans.

"Ow," the familiar voice of Afrida exclaimed in a whisper.

"Sorry," Helena breathed out.

Afrida licked her bottom lip, tasting the blood drawn by Helena's fangs. She pushed her finger lower and circled it lightly around Helena's tiny, wet ball of nerves. Helena buried her head in the crook of Afrida's neck and moaned softly.

"You know how much of my day is spent plotting how to make your fangs click?" Afrida whispered into Helena's ear as she stroked her slowly. "It's torture. You're worse than the Gestapo, and I'm a fucking Pavlovian dog. Just hearing that clicking sound automatically takes me to the verge of cumming."

Helena's hands were now working to unfasten Afrida's pants. "You know this is unprofessional. I'm technically your boss, General Afrida," Helena panted.

"Yes," Afrida exhaled. "I'm sleeping my way to the top. Or the bottom, which seems to be the position you keep me in the most."

Helena wrapped her arms tightly around Afrida, holding the blonde firmly against her. She adorned Afrida's neck with kisses, making her way up until she pressed her lips against a soft, scented ear, "You don't mind it. In fact, I think you …"

Helena stopped talking abruptly. She jerked her head up and paused. She spoke, no hint of arousal in her voice, "I have to go."

Light suddenly invaded the tiny space as Helena sped out of the storage closet. Afrida sighed, zipped up her shirt, fastened her pants and leaned back against the wall. The blonde had known Helena for several decades, and she knew there was only one thing that could so completely pull Helena out of their erotic haze. _Quinn_.

_**General Helena Gives General Dodson a Lesson**_

Dodson held Quinn's neck, still pressing the gun into his temple. M's words puzzled him. He tilted his head, wondering what could possibly happen in 30 seconds to prevent him from further antagonizing Quinn.

While Dodson was vacillating between proceeding with torturing Quinn and waiting until he counted to 31, he saw a blur out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react, he found himself contorted like a pretzel. His back was pressed against a wall and his head was being pushed into the ceiling, while his legs dangled doll-like. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist, which caused him to drop the gun he had pressed against Quinn's temple. It made a clanging noise as it hit the floor.

Dodson blinked, trying to process both the pain in various parts of his body and the glowing yellow eyes glinting at him. He glanced down at bared fangs. He whiffed. _Perfume_. His mind formed the word _Helena_ as he tilted his head as much as her hand around his throat would allow. He could see enough to tell that they both were suspended in the air, several feet above the floor.

Afrida entered the room a few seconds later and found M and Quinn calmly staring up at Helena and Dodson. "Helena!" Then to M and Quinn, "Why aren't you guys stopping her? She's going to kill him."

M regarded Afrida. To his keen senses, she smelled like sex. So did Helena. They smelled like each other's sex. Helena's growl and Dodson's yelp drew M's attention. M droned, putting little effort into the plea, "Sweetheart, please let General Dodson go."

"Helena!" Afrida yelled.

After a long pause, Helena hissed and backed away. Dodson hit the floor with a _thud_ as Helena floated gracefully to the ground.

M kneeled down over Dodson and grinned, "Now me, I'm just your typical American father with Quinn. I tell my wife … Let him be a boy. Get a few scrapes. Play with guns. Go to strip clubs. Fuck a dancer. Hell, fuck three dancers. Most things are curable, at least if you have a high enough security clearance and access to secret military drugs, which we do.

But Helena is like a mama bear. Or should I say mama wolf. Anyone so much as looks at her child the wrong way and, well… you see what happens."

Helena, Afrida and Quinn joined M and hovered above Dodson. From Dodson's point of view as he lay splayed across the floor, his mind somewhat hazy with pain, the four of them looked like four slightly distorted faces positioned in four sectors above his face - _north, south, east and west._

M mused as he hovered above Dodson, "Well, I guess you now know Helena's not entirely human. Wolf, vampire, both? Still hard to tell based on the evidence thus far. Both vampires and wolves have fangs. But then again …"

Helena interrupted M, "Why were you hurting my son?"

Dodson didn't say anything until Helena stood and raised a black military issue boot over his neck, "I-I wasn't. The gun isn't even loaded. Just soldier boy humor. No harm done. Right Quinn?" Quinn stared intently at Dodson, but said nothing.

Helena glared, her foot still hovering over Dodson's neck. "You're a born insecure motherfucker. You know that, Dodson?"

Dodson stammered nervously, "I… I don't quibble your point, at least at the moment." Dodson held up his hands, palms facing up, submissive. He chuckled nervously. "Soldier boy humor, I said."

Quinn stared down at Dodson, expressionless. Helena returned her foot to the floor, leaned down and sneered, "If you ever put a hand on Quinn again, I'll acquaint you with gallows humor. Do you understand?"

Dodson nodded. He was afraid, and gave up all pretense of dignity. Helena kept him pinned to the floor with her hand. She asked, still glaring at General Dodson, "Quinn, do you remember Buffalo Bill?"

Quinn answered, "From _Silence of the Lambs?_ Yes."

Helena responded, "Dodson here is like Buffalo Bill. What does he do? What is his nature? What need does he serve by doing the things he does?" Helena channeled her best Hannibal Lecter impression, which more than unnerved Dodson.

Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "He covets."

Helena smiled, but it hinted at aggression more than mirth. "Yes, son. He covets. He has accomplished so much. He knows so many secrets. And yet, he knows that in time all those secrets will go with him to the grave, like so many others before him."

Dodson's eyes widened as Helena continued, "You covet Quinn and M. You envy their power …"

Afrida interjected, "Their hair." She could tell this one got to Dodson, and smiled.

Helena, continued, "Their immortality."

Afrida added, "And the hot women they get to fuck." Dodson, more than a little jealous, watched as Afrida and M shared a smile that hinted at other shared intimacies.

Helena quirked a brow, but stayed on point as she glared at Dodson. "Do you know how many generals there have been before you? Great men, taller men ...

Afrida added, smirking, "_Much_ taller men." Dodson was still scared, but he couldn't help but scowl.

Helena continued, "Men looking to make an even greater name for themselves by taking over this program? Men who dreamed of eliminating M and the rest of us? At least three dozen. Do you know what they all have in common? They're all dead."

_**Manhattan, New York: Thursday, August 12, 2010**_

_**Helena's Birthday Celebration**_

It was Helena's 105th birthday, a lesser milestone, but one that warranted more than cake and ice cream in the office. So despite the increasing vampire threats around the country, General M, Helena, Afrida and Quinn had all taken time off from work and spent the day doing everything Helena wanted. They walked leisurely through Central Park. They ate dinner at Helena's favorite French restaurant, followed by a Broadway production of _Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown _at the Belasco Theatre on W. 44th Street.

During dinner Helena had fretted about Generals Dodson and Hammer, a topic about which she periodically obsessed ever since the incident with Quinn at the Sedona military base. She worried that Dodson was so cocky because he was planning something against M, and possibly had enough support to pull it off. And Hammer, she always worried about Hammer. He was relentless in his hate, and smart. Very smart.

It was now almost midnight, and Helena was curled up between Afrida and M in the master bedroom of their Manhattan apartment. A soft glowing light suffused the room. It emanated from the 60-inch flat screen LED television that was affixed to the wall across from the bed. A video jockey's voice resonated into the room, loud enough to be heard with concentration but soft enough to be background noise. "And here is Number 71 on our official VH1 countdown of the one hundred greatest songs of the 1980's. It's Rick James and his 1981 super hit. It's _Super Freak._

Helena heard the familiar bass guitar as the video started, then Rick James's voice filled the room, "_She's a very kinky girl, the kind you don't take home to mother. And she'll never let your spirits down, once you get her off the street. Ow, gurl ..." _

Afrida whispered in Helena's ear, "Rick is singing about me," and laughed. Helena smiled. Her mind had temporarily gone blank from the incredible birthday orgasms she had just received. But then Rick James' ode to freaks everywhere and the feel of Afrida's breasts pressing into Helena's back stirred both her clit and her mind.

An image flashed in her head of M leaning back against the headboard of their California King bed, with Helena astride him, her back pressed against his muscular chest and his large hands roaming up and down the front of her body.

Helena's thighs spread open as she rode M, his hands grabbing both her breasts softly as Afrida lay between her legs, her tongue circling fast then slow. Afrida wrapped one of Helena's legs around her shoulder with one hand, while the other hands pressed gently but firmly against Helena's stomach. Helena came.

The birthday girl cried out and tried to wriggle out of the living, breathing vise formed by M behind her and Afrida in front of her. Neither M nor Afrida released their holds or stopped pleasuring her. Helena came again, her breathing fast and labored.

Helena's worry pushed the image away. She played with the few black, curly hairs on M's tan chest as she whispered, "Dodson's planning something. Maybe Dodson and Hammer together. They've been searching for information about your vulnerabilities. They've been asking about protocols and directives. If they find that microchip …"

M ran his hand through Helena's hair, occasionally brushing Afrida's breast in the process. Afrida lay behind Helena, spooning her. M quieted Helena and reassured, "Dodson and Hammer are not the first people to plan my demise. They won't be the last. I will be ready for them if they try anything."

M made his voice steady, but inside he was worried, more worried than he had been in a long time about an enemy. He could feel Afrida looking at him, trying to read him. He deliberately avoided eye contact. She was an empath, a quality M disliked profusely. His genetic makeup helped, but he still found it difficult to hide from her. Afrida eventually gave up and nestled behind Helena.

Quinn appeared at the bedroom doorway. He stared intently at the threesome before him, but did not seem unnerved or embarrassed by the sight of his mother, father and Afrida completely nude and intertwined. M looked at him and raised his brows, questioning what he wanted.

Quinn answered, "We have an emergency call from Cairo."

M gently extricated himself from Helena's embrace. Helena and Afrida moved to get up, as well. M gestured for them to stay in bed. "Don't. It's still your birthday, technically. Afrida, try to give my wife something to think about besides ambitious generals."

M turned to Quinn, "Go keep our friends in Cairo occupied. I'll be there in five minutes."

Quinn nodded and left the room. M rose and went to his closet and found a set of clothes. Helena asked, "Are you sure?"

M replied, buttoning his shirt, "The world is not coming to an end, at least not tonight. I will give you both a full report tomorrow."

M gazed at them longingly for a few seconds, sadness momentarily crossing his face. He left the room and closed the door. Helena stared at the spot where he had previously stood, worry furrowing her brow.

Afrida gently turned her face so that their eyes met, "Hi."

"Hi," Helena answered softly.

Afrida kissed Helena. The kiss started slow, gentle, exploratory, then grew more passionate, their tongues meeting and delving into each other's mouths. Afrida pulled Helena on top of her, opening her legs so that Helena's right leg fit between hers. They kissed unhurriedly for untold minutes, hands gently caressing each other.

Helena pulled away, raising her head. She looked down at Afrida, releasing a soft sigh. Afrida, unflinching, gazed back at her. Helena felt her heart racing. She tried to control her breathing. Afrida continued to peer inside her, making Helena feel open, exposed, connected. Eventually, Helena and Afrida's heartbeats and breathing synchronized.

Helena: _I'm excited by this ability, but it frightens me, too_.

Afrida: _It's okay. You're safe. I have always had this ability, but I've never been able to share it with someone else. Until you._

Helena: _Are you sure? There must be others like you?_

Afrida: _Maybe. Yes. I don't know. I am afraid I won't ever remember who I am. What if I never remember?_

Helena: _You will. I will help you. You will remember._

Helena watched as Afrida's facial expressions changed. She looked distracted, then focused, then disconcerted. Helena knew this series of looks well. She was trying to remember something. Helena waited patiently for Afrida to sort through the garbled images in her mind.

Afrida: _That picture from Dr. Bevel's presentation last month, the one showing the pyramids surrounded by lush green grass instead of desert... I remember that."_

Helena: _I remember that picture, too. It was beautiful, but also kind of odd, and ..._

Afrida shook her head, cutting of Helena's thought: _No, no. I'm not talking about the picture. I mean I remember being there, being near the pyramids when there was green grass surrounding them."_

Helena didn't say anything. She just watched Afrida process this memory.

Afrida: _Do you know what that means?_

Helena knew, but she remained quiet. She waited patiently for Afrida to say what it meant out loud in her own mind, and accept it.

Eventually, Afrida thought: _If Dr. Bevel is right, then I'm over 12,000 years old, at least. I'm scared._

Helena saw and felt the panic creeping through Afrida and held her tight. _Don't be scared. We're all here with you. We're not going anywhere._

This reassurance slowly calmed Afrida. The beautiful blonde looked like a small scared child, which immediately triggered Helena's protective instincts. She felt her body temperature elevate slightly, and from her mind she sent Afrida an enshroudment of love. Helena's entire mind and body emitted warmth, protection and love. Afrida held onto her tightly, as if she never wanted to let go. They kissed each other, slowly.

The more Helena and Afrida communicated inside each other's minds, the more difficulty they had discerning where one of them began and the other ended. They both had the sensation of being tethered to one another by some unseen force.

Helena had not always been able to share thoughts in this way. She was part fairy, so she guessed the ability was latent. But sometime starting with the alignment of the planets, she had felt a change, a shift in her abilities. Then one night, while making love with Afrida, their thoughts suddenly were open to each other.

Helena was exhilarated and frightened by the experience. She had asked Marigold, one of the witches on their project, about this newfound ability, purposely omitting the full details of how she discovered it.

Marigold had excitedly explained that as Planet Earth entered the new astrological Age of Aquarius, the planet's inhabitants would be blessed with all kinds of new abilities, and latent abilities would be awakened. Collective knowledge and talents would expand exponentially. New astral planes of existence would be accessible. Whole new worlds in time and space would be opened. She encouraged Helena not to be alarmed, but to embrace every new revelation.

Helena was pulled from her thoughts by flutters in her abdomen and an insistent pressure on her clit. At some point during their languid, unhurried kissing, Helena and Afrida had started grinding against each other. Tremors of arousal rippled through their lower abdomens, and a delicious throbbing started between their legs.

Helena had the oddest, yet most divine sensation. She felt her own arousal, and she felt Afrida's arousal as experienced by Afrida. To make matters more complicated, because of the telepathic link they now shared, Helena also felt Afrida's feeling of Helena's arousal, as experienced by Helena.

Helena shook her head, feeling momentarily like she was going mad trying to process the layers and layers of awareness she was experiencing through her telepathic bond with Afrida.

Afrida: _What's wrong? You're agitated._

Helena: _I can't process all of this … what I am feeling, what you are feeling, me feeling what you are feeling, you feeling what I am feeling, ahhh, it's too much to understand …_

Afrida: _That's because you are trying too hard to think about it. Stop trying to process and allow yourself to experience it. _

Helena: _But –_

Afrida: _No. You are using the android part of yourself. Use the empathic parts of yourself. Channel your inner fairy._

Helena laughed at this inside her mind. Afrida was there, laughing with her.

Helena and Afrida moved their hips in perfect time with each other, each knowing exactly the movement and pressure to apply to bring the other to her peak. The moist lips between their legs kissed, causing a warm wetness to coat their upper thighs. The room's silence was broken by their rhythmic breathing and moans, and the soft sound of movements on the bed.

Helena thrust her hips faster and faster, until her body was a blur. She paused for a brief moment to adjust herself and grip the pillow on either side of Afrida's head. She resumed grinding, her arms muscles tense and glistening with sweat as she pulled on the pillow, lifting Afrida's head and burying her face against the crook of the blonde's neck.

Afrida concentrated on every inch of her beautiful raven-haired lover. Her right heel braced and pushed against the mattress, toes pointing up, bending back from pleasure, and occasionally brushing against Helena's calf, which flexed and unflexed as Helena moved on top of her. Afrida's left foot turned inward, her toes bracing against and sometimes caressing up and down Helena's lower leg.

Afrida ran her left hand slowly up and down Helena's side, lightly grazing her breast and sweeping over her butt. Her right hand released its death grip on her lover's hair and moved down to caress Helena's bicep muscles, which stayed flexed as Helena gripped the pillow, using it to brace herself and burrow more deeply into Afrida. _Wet_. Everywhere Afrida touched, with her hands, her feet, her toes, her entire body, was wet. Dripping wet. Sweat glistened on every inch of Helena's skin, which had remained warm ever since Afrida's panic over remembering the green grass surrounding the pyramids.

But Afrida wasn't panicked now. She felt the familiar cresting sensation between her legs that told her she would be cumming soon. She felt Helena's orgasm closing in, as well. More than that, she felt all of Helena's love and adoration. She smiled in between moans as she thought about it. She felt Helena's primal wolf nature protecting her from danger. It made her want to stay underneath this woman like this forever. But more than any of these things, at this very moment, Afrida felt ... hot. _Fucking hot._

Afrida was sweating, really sweating, dripping wet. She had never before experienced any aspect of Helena's wolf nature, including her elevation in body temperature. Afrida guessed that right now Helena was running about 107 degrees, and it was something she wasn't used to. Helena's vampiric nature dominated most of the time when they were intimate, which meant Helena was always slightly cool to the touch. But now she was like a simmering furnace, and Afrida suddenly needed air. Cool air.

The blonde thought about opening the window, then remembered that it was August in Manhattan. That wouldn't help, and would probably make the situation worse. She cut off the thought before the window latch released. For some reason unknown to her, Afrida noticed that if she thought things, they sometimes happened. She might want the light on, and then suddenly there was light. One time she saw a flower about to bloom and she wondered how it would look. To her amazement, its petals unfolded right before her eyes. So she knew that if she concentrated too long on wanting that window to open, it would somehow do her bidding.

_No window, _Afrida thought. _AC. Air conditioning. Need AC now. _Helena felt Afrida moving beneath her, but her previously sexual rhythm had changed suddenly into something decidedly more boring. And Helena was being pulled to the left. Helena looked down to see Afrida inching toward the edge of the bed. She asked, "What are you doing?"

Afrida kept inching toward the night stand, her arm outstretched, and the air conditioning remote just barely out of reach. Helena playfully pulled back Afrida's arm. "Air conditioning. I'm doing my best horizontal tango for you and you're trying to cool off?"

Afrida responded, a little winded, "Look, I love your horizontal tango. It's making me hot. _Too hot_. I really appreciate how you went all alpha wolf on me, literally. But I didn't know wolves were so fucking warm. Like everywhere, even your hair. I want to faint _because of_ the great cum I'm about to have, not before it happens from heat exhaustion."

Helena held the blonde in place. "What kind of soldier are you? So weak, really? A little heat. I thought you volunteered for this assignment for the love of your country. It doesn't feel like you're giving your all for Team America."

Afrida replied archly, "Americahhhh, fuck yeah. I love my country. I love the service in which I've been enlisted," kissing Helena's lips. "But right now I need that AC remote before I pass out. Then back to regularly scheduled programming, I promise."

Helena eyed her playfully, still not budging. "You say you're playing for Team America, but all you keep saying is _I _need air. _I'm _going to pass out. _I _don't want to faint. I, I, I... Remember, there's no _I_ in Team America."

Afrida mused for a moment, then smiled knowingly, "Yes there is."

Helena playfully acted as if this fact surprised her. "Oh, in that case, go get 'em, cowboy."

Afrida winked, "Let's move together."

The VH1 VJ announced the next song. "This song relied on the 4/4 motorik beat and went on to become Devo's greatest hit. It's _Whip It_." First came the beat, then the singer's voice, _Crack that whip, give the past a slip. Step on a crack, break your mama's back. When a problem comes along, you must whip it. Before the cream sets out too long, you must whip it... _

The two of them moved together until Afrida reached the remote. She pressed a button over and over until the AC setting was on _high. _She sighed as she heard a _whooosh _ of air circulating through the venting system and out into the room. They made their way back to the center of the bed, Helena still on top of Afrida gripping the pillow, their legs still intertwined.

When they arrived at what seemed to be their previous spot, Afrida said, "Stop here. I don't want to be back in the wet spot."

Helena smirked, "I thought you wanted to cool off. That will help." Helena made a move like she would force Afrida into the wet spot they had just left, until Afrida yelped and protested. They rested where they were. Helena let the cold air come to them, as they both absently watched the video on TV.

Afrida mused, "I always wondered if that cowboy in this video was ever scared."

"What?" Helena asked.

Afrida continued, dreamily, "The Devo video ... I mean, that cowboy knew that the pretty Asian girl was cross-eyed. She has double vision, for Hera's sake. And there she is shooting that gun right at him. Everyone else scattered like little bitch puppies, but he just stood there holding that big can right in front of his body like the alpha male he is."

Helena rolled her eyes slightly, but still smiled at Afrida's silliness. Afrida wasn't done dreaming about the cowboy. "That cross-eyed girl is dangerous. She could have killed that cowboy, and then this would've been a whole different video. Something tragic, instead of Devo undressing a sexy woman with a whip."

Helena observed, "No woman is dangerous if you know how to handle her."

Afrida replied seductively, "That's right. That's why he went over there and rode 'em cowboy. He showed her who's boss for shooting that gun at his big can."

Helena started a slow winding of her hips into the beautiful blonde. "Is that so?"

Afrida whispered, overtly aroused now. "Yes, it so is. And that's why that pretty cross-eyed girl wanted that cowboy to show her who's boss. She knew she was bad for shooting that gun at him."

Helena grinded a little faster, her arousal growing. Apparently, her little super freak could make anything erotic, even VH1's Greatest Eighties countdown. She groaned as she hit the perfect spot, "Is that so?"

Afrida started moving her hips beneath Helena, matching her rhythm. "Yes, it sooooo is. You're like that cowboy."

"Taming dangerous women?" Helena murmured, returning her face back to its home position in the crook of Afrida's neck.

"Hmmm mmmm, turning us lionesses into absolute kittens," Afrida moaned. "And I'm like that pretty cross-eyed girl, always doing something bad. Always getting myself into trouble."

Helena couldn't take anymore of this sexy Devo talk. She resumed her grip on the pillow. Afrida returned her feet and hands to their prior positions, bracing into Helena's legs, caressing her wolf's body with her toes and feet, grabbing tight fistfuls of her hair, caressing her flexing biceps, which glistened but didn't drip, thanks to the ice cold AC now cooling the room.

The Devo song also filled the room, ~~ _Now whip it, into shape. Shape it up, get straight. Go forward, move ahead. Try to detect it, it's not too late. To whip it, into shape. Shape it up, get straight. Go forward, move ahead. Try to detect it, it's not too late. To whip it. Well, whip it good. ~~_

Helena was an obedient student of music. She writhed faster than humanly possible as she felt Afrida was close to cumming, moaning loudly into her blonde kitten's ear. Afrida's eyes clinched shut and her beautiful face grimaced as her head pushed back into the pillow, fully exposing her neck.

Helena's fangs had descended some time ago, from the moment she and Afrida resumed grinding against each other. Helena, who did not require human blood to live, nevertheless felt a rush as she saw Afrida's neck exposed, her jugular vein pulsing. Without thinking, she sank her teeth neatly into the blonde's soft pink flesh. Afrida cried out in a delicious mix of pain and pleasure. Piercing white light flashed behind her eyelids as her body trembled.

Helena had no problem resisting the thirst for human blood, but she found Afrida's blood to be utterly intoxicating. The sweet, thick red elixir gave her a kind of drug-induced euphoria. A few times Helena obtained the most exquisite sexual release just from tasting Afrida's blood. It was now a nectar that Helena found totally addicting.

Helena sucked mouthfuls of Afrida's blood, which tasted like honey and wheat and exotic herbs, with a hint of sea salt. An explosion started between both Helena and Afrida's legs and emanated outward throughout their bodies.

In her mind, Helena saw Afrida's pleasure as a white hot light, then a warm pulsing glow.

When that light dimmed just slightly, Helena suddenly remembered that she needed to stop drinking from Afrida and willed herself to stop. She pulled back, pressed a finger into one of her fangs and used her own blood to heal Afrida's puncture wounds.

Helena kissed Afrida lightly on the lips, caressing her face. Afrida tasted her blood on Helena's lips. She opened and closed her eyes lazily, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Before she succumbed to the abyss of her dreams, Afrida the empath sent Helena a singular thought, loud and clear. _I'm in love with you._

Helena sent back the same thought, and they held each other, now still but in the same position. Helena said, as she momentarily paid attention to Culture Club's _Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, _coming in at Number 58 on the VH1 Greatest Eighties count down, "It's my day today, so tell me why again I allowed you to turn this show on during my birthday sex?"

Helena's voice pulled Afrida out of the sleep she was falling into. Afrida answered confidently, "Because you know that when I'm happy, you're _very, very _happy. That's why. Plus the fact that you know I'm trapped in a countdown loop, and the only way out is forward and down to Number 1."

Indeed, Helena knew this last part very well. On more occasions than Helena could remember, she had walked in on Afrida and Quinn watching some countdown show. It was really bad at New Year's time, when every channel had some countdown of events from the prior year. During that time, Helena couldn't pull the two of them from the television, and if she did try they would protest and cry out, "Countdown loop! Countdown loop!"

Some countdowns she could understand. Greatest hits of the eighties wasn't so bad, Helena could admit. But then there was _Top Ten Mob Movies_, _Top Ten Ballers_ on MTV or BET (she couldn't remember which one), _Ten Greatest Ponzi Scammers _and _Ten Most Annoying Television Commercials_. And even M was not immune. He repeatedly called Quinn and Afrida's willingness to be drawn into any countdown show "something about which they needed to speak with a psychiatrist at Comstack Infirmary." But then to M's chagrin, Helena had caught him, Quinn and Afrida watching the History Channel's, _Twenty Greatest War Battles of All Time_.

M had seen Helena standing in the door with her arms folded, smirking at him. He looked up sheepishly and protested, "This is educational."

Helena retorted, "Not when you've personally fought more than half of those battles, it isn't."

Helena turned her head away from the television and pushed away the Eighties music. She respected the awesome power of the countdown loop and refused to get sucked in. No way was she planning how late she could stay at work for the upcoming week by referencing VH1's scheduled next editions of this countdown. She nestled into Afrida and closed her eyes, until she felt some kind of agitation coming from beneath her.

She listened quietly, concentrating on and sensing Afrida. It was agitation, more like annoyance. She heard Afrida say both inside her head and vocally, "Fuck."

Helena, slightly alarmed, raised her head and looked down at Afrida, who was watching the television. The alpha wolf in Helena was already stirring, ready to protect and drive away anything that might be causing her precious little kitten pain. She caressed Afrida's cheek, and whispered gently, "What's wrong?"

Afrida never took her eyes off the television. Looking visibly annoyed, Afrida frowned, "Fuck. I bet Quinn that Toni Basil's _Mickey_ was going to be in the top fifty. It's Number 57. Now I have to buy us all glow-in-the-dark compass rings, so we don't get lost from each other when we're fighting crime and eradicating evil."

Helena's mouth dropped open. She went from worried to irritated in a flash, but not too upset as she looked down at her beautiful lover. Just enough to poke her in the ribs.

"Ow," Afrida exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"For scaring me. I thought something was wrong with you," Helena replied.

"Something is wrong. I have to find this damn ring, and it's not going to be easy. He wants an exact replica of the ring Tom Hanks gave to Elizabeth Perkins in the movie _Big_. Where the fuck am I going to find that? I'll probably have to have them custom-made," Afrida lamented.

Helena wasn't sympathetic. "Well, that's your fault for taking a fool's bet. Quinn probably has the full countdown list already. He certainly had motivation to ensure a win."

Afrida mused playfully, "Maybe M is right. I do need to visit that psychiatrist at Comstack Infirmary. I seem to have a masochistic desire to end up on the bottom end of things with everyone in this family. Except M, that is. He likes me on top." She smiled devilishly. "Not like some relentlessly dominant alpha wolves I know."

Helena started tickling Afrida. "I'll show you relentless and dominant."

Afrida screamed and tried, but not too hard, to get away from Helena.

_**The Emergence of New Energy**_

M and Quinn sat in front of a 60-inch monitor in an office at the other end of their 3,000 square foot apartment. The distance did not prevent either Quinn or M, who had superb hearing, from hearing the moans, and later laughter, coming from the master bedroom.

M blocked the sounds out of his mind as he spoke to a crew of four men and women on the screen. Around them were concrete blocks, which pulsed with a dull light.

One of the crew members, a handsome African-American man, said, "We're inside the Great Pyramid, just below the Queen's Chamber."

M asked, "How long has it been doing that?"

The same crew member answered, "Since this morning, but we waited to call you once we were sure there was a pattern. The electromagnetic energy has increased across several wavelengths."

M, paused, then asked, hopeful, "Including ultraviolet waves?"

The same man replied enthusiastically, "Yes, UV waves have increased by 30% since this morning and are still increasing. If this rate continues, the Earth can essentially be its own sun."

Quinn asked, "Does that mean the Earth's core is heating up? Is the Earth in danger?"

Another crew member, a tawny haired woman, chimed in, "No. The core temperature will increase slightly, which probably will cause additional melting of the polar ice caps. But we have models that predict a range of melting that could factor for this new phenomenon. No, the real change is that these waves are more accessible if we choose to harness them."

M smiled and said to himself, "Well, I'll be damned. Those witches were right. Maybe this Age of Aquarius bullshit isn't bullshit after all."

"Excuse me, sir?" the female crew member asked, a bit confused.

M shook his head and answered, "Sorry. I'm just excited about all of this. Time to chart the grid?"

The woman replied, "We've already started. We'll have a rudimentary proposal for tower locations by the end of next week."

M nodded eagerly, "This is very good news, team. Proceed as planned. We will start preparing the sights for towers once your draft grid is complete."

M signed off and turned to Quinn. "Today humanity just came one giant step closer to reclaiming its place at the top of the food chain. Soon we will own the night with an artificial sun that can be summoned anytime, anywhere in the world."

Quinn added, "We will fight crime and eradicate evil."

M agreed, "Indeed, we will."

_**Republic of Cyprus: Friday, August 27, 2010**_

_**Nikola Tesla – America's Greatest Inventor and The Man From Dallas**_

Quinn, M and Helena stood on a rocky hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. They observed a construction crew in the distance building a large tower. The base of the tower looked like several ladders affixed side by side in a large circle. At the top of the tower sat a large shallow dish-like structure, surrounded by a sheer enclosure of metal that formed a gigantic ball. The tower stood more than 200 feet tall. Its base enclosed a two-story rectangular building which the crew referred to as the tower's work station.

Quinn watched a video on his iPad. Helena scoffed, "Quinn, I can't believe you're fascinated with that thing when you have the Mediterranean Sea right in front of your eyes."

Quinn replied, his eyes never leaving the screen, "I am trying to understand these two movies. And besides, this device does so many things."

Helena shook her head, "I should kill Afrida for buying you that thing. What movies?"

Quinn answered, "_Vanilla Sky_ and _Mulholland Drive_."

Helena replied as if the answer was obvious, "They tell the same story, Quinn. In fact, they tell the same story as the other movie you've been watching over and over for the past two weeks."

"_American Beauty_?" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Helena responded.

"But, how can -," Quinn started, but Helena cut him off."

"Where's Afrida?" Helena frowned, looking around.

Quinn answered, "She left. She said she felt sick and she needed to go home. She left for the airport about an hour ago. She said she scheduled a flight to Dulles Airport. She's going to stay at her apartment in Washington, D.C. tonight."

Helena puzzled this for several seconds, then asked, "M, in all these years, have you ever known Afrida to be ill?"

M thought for a moment, "No, I haven't. I guess there's a first time for everything."

M continued to look out at the progress of the construction. Quinn looked as if he wanted to resume talking about movies, but stopped when he saw Helena shake her head. _No._

Helena point toward the Mediterranean Sea. "Let's take a moment and look at the view, Quinn. It's too beautiful to ignore." But Helena wasn't really focusing on the view. She was wondering what could have made Afrida feel so ill that she needed to leave the entire country immediately, without even waiting to tell Helena what was wrong.

M, Helena and Quinn stood together silently, for a time, enjoying the sound of waves from the distant sea and each other's company. Then M asked, "Quinn, do you know who is the greatest American inventor of all time?"

Quinn contemplated for a moment, then stared at his iPad. M added, "And please don't tell me Steve Jobs."

Quinn replied in his usual monotone, "I would not tell you Steve Jobs. His inventions were not fundamental technology."

M smiled, "That's right. You can have all the iPads in the world, but they don't work without electricity."

Quinn pondered for a moment, then said, "I say Thomas Edison."

"And you are incorrect. The greatest American inventor is Nikola Tesla."

Quinn looked up from his iPad, intrigued and ready to listen. M explained, "Nikola Tesla, or Kola as we called him, was a god among men. Thomas Edison's inventions were Kola's discarded ideas. Kola was a genius. Edison was a thief."

Quinn interjected, "But history says …"

M angrily cut him off, "History is written by the winners. It's not the truth. I was there. Kola is virtually invisible in the history books because his genius was too exceptional. He discovered the Earth's greatest secrets. Free energy, easily harnessed if you knew how to do it. J.P. Morgan wanted to patent it. Kola refused."

M stared thoughtfully for a moment, then continued. "Scientists depended on moguls to bring their ideas to life. J.P. Morgan offered a deal to Tesla, then to Edison. Edison said _yes_, so now we use inferior technology. Technology that Tesla had trashed on a discarded piece of crumbled paper as being unworthy."

M pointed to the tower being constructed. "That tower is a modified Tesla Tower. It will harness this new energy from the Earth, creating an artificial sun that will allow us to own both the day and the night. The blueprints for this tower were created by Kola decades ago."

M turned to Quinn, "Tesla's discoveries were taken over by the United States government. Time travel, teleportation, the base technology for all the anti-vampire weapons we've been working on, the technology embedded in Satellite Draco, these sun towers being built around the world … all of it came from Tesla. Planet Earth will be saved from Sanguinista vampire hoards because of Nikola Tesla. Look him up, Quinn. Give him your respect."

Quinn went to someplace in his head, presumably to contemplate Nikola Tesla.

M turned once again to his laptop. He clicked through screens, searching through files. Helena regarded M for a moment as he scrolled down his laptop screen, then said, "You're no better than Quinn. I see where he gets it from."

"What?," M asked, looking up briefly from his laptop.

Helena answered, smiling "That." She pointed to M's laptop. "Neither of you can be moved by anything, even by the beauty of nature."

If M was capable of being bothered by anything, Helena's comment would have done so. As things stood, the comment made him feel… he wasn't sure. But he was sure he didn't like whatever that something was. Whatever the feeling was, it made him need to explain. "I'm almost done, and then we can watch all the nature you want. I just want to skim today's surveillance data. Then I'm done. I promise."

M pulled up Eric Northman's data file and transcripts, and scrolled through data. He scrolled and scrolled, briefly pausing a couple of times when he thought he saw something interesting. Upon examination, it turned out not to be as interesting as he initially thought. He kept scrolling.

M suddenly stopped, reading curiously. Helena noticed and asked, "Something noteworthy in Eric's file?"

"I don't know if I'd call it noteworthy, but it is interesting," M replied, mostly speaking to himself.

"What is it?" Helena asked.

M was about to answer because he was off thinking in his head, and then it occurred to him that the answer was likely going to cause trouble of an unknown nature. He knew Helena, and probably Quinn, would have some type of reaction to the information, but he had no idea what it would be. M hated unknowns, especially the kind of unknowns that required him to employ emotional skills he didn't have. M, now fully cognizant, remained silent. He wished at that moment that he had kept his thoughts to himself.

Helena pressed, now more interested. "M? Well?"

M sighed, "I don't think it's a good idea for me to bring this up. It's not substantive. It has no import to our mission or … it's just a little oddity I noticed. It's nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Well, of course, M. That just makes me want to know even more, so just say it." Helena was at mildly annoyed but fast approaching really annoyed. M knew that the next step after that was pissed off.

M steeled himself and said, "Eric awoke yesterday, during the day. That's all."

Helena studied M. She knew there was something he was leaving out. If he was going to make her pull teeth, she'd do it. "Why?"

Reluctantly, M said, "He had a nightmare. He was crying."

Helena thought out loud, staring at M. "That is odd. Eric doesn't usually have nightmares, at least not ones that would be detectable with audio surveillance. And he doesn't cry. What was the nightmare about?"

"I don't know," M said, lying. But Helena wasn't buying it.

Helena had learned long ago that M had the ability to make technically true statements, otherwise known as sophisticated lies. She could see straight through him, and went about asking the right questions. "What did Eric say before and after his crying started?"

"Helena, he said lots of things. It's hours worth of notes." M said. He could tell from Helena's expression that he was about to have it. He knew he was in trouble when Helena's eyes began to glow yellow.

Helena walked over to him, looking close to feral. Quinn felt her shift in mood and looked up. She came close to M and growled, "You're ruining a beautiful day, MacArthur. Maybe you shouldn't have said anything but you did. So accept that you're in it now, and just fucking say it. I'm not asking you anymore questions when you know what I want to know."

M held his ground for several seconds, then Helena lost it and grabbed M's laptop. She read the screen, her eyes darting rapidly. She knew whatever it was that M was hiding would probably jump out. And it did.

M's eyes widened a little, as he waited for the inevitable. The yellow tint in Helena eyes disappeared, and her expression turned heartbroken. M could see tears welling up in her eyes. She whispered, "I see." M knew something like this was going to happen.

She walked over to Quinn and stood next to him. M could see that Quinn also had heard what he said, because his face turned heartbroken, as well. Or, that is, as heartbroken as was possible for Quinn. And as heartbroken as M had ever seen Quinn in his life.

Quinn asked his mother quietly, "Was Eric crying about the man from Dallas?"

Helena sucked in air rapidly, trying to calm herself. She choked, then said, "Yes."

M watched Helena and Quinn stand close together. They looked out at the sea. After several minutes, Quinn asked, "Why is this happening?" He sounded less monotone, actually confused and disturbed.

Helena answered him calmly, while also using her soothing voice to calm herself. "You are sad, Quinn. That's all. You're _feeling_ sad."

Quinn stared straight ahead, one tear fell from his left eye. "I … don't like it. And yet … I … kind of … like it."

Helena didn't say anything for several minutes. M stared at her, but she kept looking straight ahead. He knew enough to know that she was sad, but for the life of him he didn't know what to do about it. He had tried so many times to animate the emotional part of himself, but it had always proven difficult.

Although M was within a few feet of Helena and Quinn, he felt miles away. They were joined together, even more closely than normal, by a shared grief he didn't feel and didn't understand. M resigned himself that he didn't know what to do, so he turned his head toward the sea, but his ears were focused intently on his wife and his son. _Fuck the Man From Dallas._

M forgot that Helena had recently developed the ability to read his thoughts. She couldn't always read them, yet. But daily the ability was improving, and she was nearly perfect at plucking singular booming messages from the forefront of his mind. He knew she had heard his curse on the Man From Dallas because she scowled as she looked out at the sea. She said, "I know you think it's crazy, M. But I am telling you that the Man From Dallas is the Nikola Tesla of his kind. He is preeminence in a ..." she gazed at the sea and it whispered inspiration, "in a sea of inferiority."

M continued watching the water, as if he hadn't heard, but he was thinking about what Helena had just said. And Helena knew it. Helena smiled slightly at M, and soothingly comforted Quinn, "It's okay. You are sad, which is an unpleasant feeling. But you kind of like it because you are not only feeling something, _but you are aware_ that you are feeling something. That's special and nice."

The two of them stood there for several minutes. The only noise was the sea and the distant construction, and an occasional wind. Finally, Quinn said, "Okay. I'm kind of … I don't like it anymore."

Helena could sense Quinn becoming agitated, which he never did, except over one thing, and this was it. Helena talked him through the agitation. "Quinn, I want you to focus on the sea. Look at the waves. We'll look at them together."

Quinn stared straight ahead, which didn't look like much of a change from what he had been doing before. But in his mind, he zoomed in on the waves, watching each one as a singular entity, seeing the ripples and tips of white as the waters crested.

Helena gazed just as intently at the waves. She said, "It's just another day. Another beautiful day."

Helena could feel Quinn's agitation. She urged him through the sadness. "It's okay, Quinn. Just believe the sadness is going away. You're moving through the sadness, and out of it. Just believe. Feel the wind around you. Feel the sun kissing your skin, warming you. Smell the salt wafting off the water. Breathe in deeply. Take in the all the little, subtle scents around you. Let the sadness go out of you, into the waves, the air, the wind."

Helena felt Quinn calming, almost back to normal. She knew he would stand in that pose for at least thirty minutes if left uninterrupted. Now that she knew her son was fine, she could focus on calming herself. She inhaled deeply, smelling all the things she had just told Quinn to smell.

Her wolfen and vampire senses honed in on other essences that were buried underneath the overt scents of sea and salt. Helena inhaled deeply, several times. She felt herself calming, until … she caught the scent of something. Something very familiar.

Helena inhaled again and again, her imbibement of air now purposeful work, not calming intakes of air. With each inhale, Helena's heart beat faster, until it was racing. She turned to follow the scent that was now pulling her, almost against her will. She briefly turned to M and said, "Excuse me, I'm going to take a walk."

M watched as Helena turned away from the beach and headed toward a rocky hill. He watched her until she disappeared. He would leave her be, give her as much time as she needed. He hoped it would help. The last time Helena and Quinn were reminded of The Man From Dallas, she cried all night and was despondent for days afterward. Even Quinn was not himself for days. _Nikola Tesla my ass. __Fuck the Man From Dallas._

M turned to the sea, then decided his laptop was more interesting, especially now that Helena was no longer around to chastise him or read his thoughts.

Quinn continued to focus on the brilliant blue water. His eyes sometimes moved to the Tesla sun tower rising out of the rocky beach. The Mediterranean Sea danced in the background. His mother was right, as she always was. The view was beautiful.

* * *

_I brought you something close to me_  
_And left with something new_  
_I can see through your head_  
_You haunt my dreams_  
_But there's nothing to do but believe_  
_Just believe, Just breathe_  
_Another day, Just believe_  
_Another day, Just breathe_  
_Another day, Just believe_  
_Another day, Just breathe_  
_I'm used to it by now_

**Ending Scene Song: _Breathe _by Telepopmusick**

**Credits Song: Planet**_** Earth **_**by Duran Duran**

**Author's Notes: **

(1) Movies quoted in this chapter include _Dolomite, Silence of the Lambs, Big,_ and Team_ America: World Police._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Super Freak _by Rick James, _Whip It_ by Devo, and _Breathe _by Telepopmusik. Other songs featured in this chapter include _Do You Really Want to Hurt Me_ by Culture Club and _Mickey_ by Toni Basil.

(3) The Tesla tower is real, just modified for this story. Google "Tesla tower" to see a picture of Tesla's actual tower, which looks the same in this story.


	7. Helena Learns About Afrida's Identity

**Chapter 7: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Hurt You**

(Helena Learns Clues About Afrida's Identity)

**_Author's Note:_** I finished this update sooner than expected. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

**Trigger Warning: **This chapter contains a reference to non-consensual sexual activity. It also contains some analysis of the impact of the abuse on the victim.

I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

_**Republic of Cyprus: Friday, August 27, 2010**_

_**Helena Learns Clues About Afrida's Identity**_

Helena strolled up a rocky hill, sniffing the air and methodically following the scent that had called to her as she stood with M and Quinn overlooking the tower construction and the Mediterranean Sea. She walked around rocky crags, inhaling deeply and zigzagging a pattern through the rugged soil. She increased her pace as the scent became stronger. She abruptly stopped in front of a cave opening, where she heard the soft clanking of metal and humming. _This is where the smell is coming from._

Helena made her way to the cave's entrance and peered inside. She saw a lanky, attractive black woman with caramel skin and curly shoulder-length hair. The woman was gently brushing some kind of clay container, engrossed in thought. The woman looked up, startled to see Helena standing at the cave's entrance.

Helena raised her hand in a calming gesture, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

The woman pressed a hand over her eyes like the brim of a visor, shielding out the sun coming in through the cave opening to get a better view of Helena. She stood and casually walked over.

"That's alright. I don't get many visitors. Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"I don't know. I heard you working and was curious what you were doing?" Helena made this up. She didn't know how to explain that she smelled something familiar in the cave without sounding weird.

The woman replied amiably, "I'm a professor at the University of Athens. I specialize in Antiquities. The Hellenistic Period is a special love of mine. This cave is potentially a ground-breaking discovery, at least for me."

"What is it? If it's not top secret, that is?" Helena asked.

The woman smiled, her light brown eyes sparkling, "Not top secret. I hope in fact to eventually make it very public. This appears to be the sight of the world's oldest perfumery. It's also a place of worship for devotees of the goddess Aphrodite."

Helena looked intrigued, but frowned, "Why is this such an important discovery, besides the fact that it shows how long ago perfume was made?"

The woman answered, a bit excited to be talking to someone who seemed genuinely curious about her work, "Well, it's lots of things. The kinds of ingredients used to make the perfume, all herbs, which was unique to this region and apparently to the time period. It's also the role the scents played in the worship of the goddess. These were known as Aphrodite's scents. Being able to wear Aphrodite's perfume was a status symbol, and represented an acolyte's station as a beloved worshiper of the goddess. Who these people were will tell me much about the cults of the goddess in this particular region of Cyprus, in this particular time period."

Helena asked, her mind starting to race, "How do you know that the scents in this cave belong to Aphrodite and only her? Is this island uniquely associated with her or something? Weren't there many other … Greek goddesses who liked perfume? Maybe it's not a goddess at all, but some wealthy merchant women or …"

Alexis shook her head enthusiastically, "No, no. Merchant women, no. Other goddesses, no. With the goddess Aphrodite, yes. Of course, there are other goddesses, but they have their own cities. For example, Athens was the province of Athena, goddess of war. But this _entire_ island of Cyprus belonged to Aphrodite, goddess of love. Did you know that Cyprus's other name is Aphrodite's Island? Some local people still call it that."

Helena shook her head. _No._

Alexis continued, "This is supposedly the place of the goddess Aphrodite's birth. She was born, or rather emerged from, the Mediterranean Sea however many eons ago."

Helena stepped further into the cave, sniffing but trying not to be too obvious. She reached for one of the clay containers. "May I?"

"Sure, I guess. Just ..., please be careful," the woman came over to Helena, somewhat intrigued.

Helena lifted the vessel and sniffed. Her eyes widened. "Olive oil. Almonds. Coriander. Myrtle." Helena paused and sniffed, before uttering, "Bergamot."

The caramel-skinned professor looked utterly shocked, "That- that's right. How did you? This building collapsed in 1850 B.C. These jugs are more than 4,000 years old? How could you possibly smell…?"

The woman frowned. Helena couldn't focus on managing the woman's queries. She was too busy processing the questions racing through her own mind, namely why the scents emanating from these 4,000 year-old jugs smelled exactly like Afrida, a seductive, complex aroma Helena knew all too well. And why the professor was calling these scents _Aphrodite's scents._

Helena eventually pulled herself out of her mental reverie when she noticed the woman staring at her. "I'm sorry, I have an acute sense of smell, I guess."

Helena extended her hand, hoping to change the subject a bit. "My name is Helena. Helena Wolfe."

The professor slowly took Helena's hand, still regarding her. "I'm Alexis Stavros. Call me Alex."

Alex regarded Helena's uniform. "Are you with that military crew over the hill?"

Helena reluctantly replied, "Yes."

Alex queried, "I'm guessing that what you're doing _is _top secret?"

Helena's silence gave the answer. Alex nodded. "Well, you're welcome to stay. I'm going to get back to it, if you don't mind."

"No, of course." Helena walked over to a cave wall in a far, dark corner of the professor's work den. She studied the colorful drawings. One in particular stood out. It was a wooden stick, wrapped in lush green ivy and vines.

_####_

_Helena's tongue circled rapidly, faster than humanly possible, making a deliberate, repeating pattern over Afrida's clit. Afrida, eyes clamped shut, writhed and moaned underneath her, snaking across the bed on her back. Helena gripped Afrida's hips, holding her in place and following her as she traversed the king-sized bed. Helena was relentless in her attentions, slowing down only when her tongue felt the tiny tremors of orgasm emanating from Afrida's wet center._

_Afrida gripped Helena's head as she screamed one last time, weakly pushing the brunette's lips away from her sensitive privates. Helena lay quietly with her head on Afrida's thigh, listening to the sound of Afrida's heavy breathing. Their bodies were tangled crossways on the bed, surrounded by a mountain of crushed pillows._

_A glint of color caught Helena's eye. Helena raised up, lifting Afrida's leg slightly. She examined an area just inside and toward the back of Afrida's upper right thigh. To her surprise, engraved on Afrida's skin was a tiny but very colorful tattoo, a drawing of a brown stick of wood. Lush green leaves wrapped around the stick._

"_What's this?" Helena asked._

"_What's what?" Afrida answered, dreamily._

"_You have a tattoo. When did you get it?" Helena caressed the marking on Afrida's thigh._

"_What?" Afrida raised up on her elbows, more alert now. Frowning. "What are you talking about?"_

_Helena continued to gently run her fingers along the tattoo, caressing Afrida's inner thigh. Afrida jerked, aroused by the touch. Afrida looked down. "I don't see anything."_

_Helena looked up and locked eyes with Afrida. "Hmm, I guess you can't see it from your angle. Wait a minute."_

_Helena got up and walked over to the dresser. She retrieved a hand-held mirror and lay next to Afrida. She angled the mirror across from the tattoo so that Afrida could see it. Afrida examined the image silently, frowning. Her features morphed from confusion to anxiety. Her eyes widened and she started to breathe heavily._

_Helena tried to move the mirror away, and was startled when Afrida tightly gripped her hand. Afrida squeezed, drawing blood as she held the mirror in place and studied the tattoo. "I don't know how I got this. I didn't even know it was there. I… I can't remember."_

_Afrida's lower lip quivered. Her hands shook. Suddenly she screamed and jerked Helena's hand away from her with a force so strong the motion tore the mirror from Helena's hands. It crashed into the wall and broke into pieces._

_Helena held Afrida, rocking her back and forth as she wept. Afrida cried, "I can't remember. I should remember something like that, shouldn't I? Why can't I remember?"_

####

"Do you know what this drawing means?" Helena asked.

Alexis looked up from dusting pottery. "What?" She walked over to the cave wall and stood next to Helena. She couldn't see anything until she took out a tiny flashlight from her pocket and angled the light onto the dark wall. "How could you possibly see…?"

Helena stared straight ahead. She realized she wasn't doing a good job at not piquing the professor's interest, but she needed to know about this cave and its contents. She was willing to risk the professor learning a little too much about her in the process.

"It's called a _thyrsos_. It's a symbol of Dionysus, god of wine, joy and theatre. He was one of Aphrodite's lovers. They had a brief but very passionate relationship." Alexis gave Helena her full attention.

Helena asked, "Did Aphrodite have a tattoo of this symbol?"

Alexis's eyes lit up, "Are you a student of the Hellenistic period, Helena?"

Helena shook her head, laughing slightly, "No, I'm not. I guess you could say I have a … uhm … personal fascination with Aphrodite." Then Helena lied, "I've just read some of the myths about her, that's all."

Alexis observed, "Well, your readings must have taken you deep into some esoteric texts. I mean, there is a myth about Aphrodite having a tattoo, but it was a regional myth popular during the end of the Hellenistic period. It was never widely circulated because most adherents believed the goddess appreciated the beauty of the human body only in its natural state, unblemished. So tattoos would have been anathema."

Helena asked, "But _there was_ a myth about a tattoo, you said?"

"Yes," Alexis replied. "There is. In fact, it was popular in this very province, with the people who ran this perfumery, which is why this thyrsos is on this cave wall. So the myth goes, Aphrodite began a passionate, secret affair with Dionysus. She kept it a secret because her lover Ares, god of war, was extremely jealous. Dionysus grew tired of being denied as Aphrodite's lover. To appease him she did something that would normally be unthinkable. She marred her beautiful skin with this symbol, as a way of proving her love to Dionysus."

Alexis reached down and pressed her hands to her inner right thigh. "It is said that she placed the tattoo here, on her inner thigh. The placement of the tattoo in and of itself symbolized the depth of intimacy between her and Dionysus, as only the most intimate of lovers could ever see it. Even if the goddess made love to someone else, they would know that Dionysus had been there, so to speak."

Helena blushed at this. Alexis, who was studying Helena, noticed but didn't say anything. She continued, "Of course, Aphrodite took other lovers, and she explained the tattoo by saying it was a tribute to Dionysus for giving her the gift of a special red wine, whose taste she said, mimicked the intoxication of love. No one believed her, of course."

"How many lovers did Aphrodite have?" Helena asked, feeling more than a little jealous.

"Oh, many. She was the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, lust and procreation, after all. Ares, Dionysus, Poseidon, Hermes. Most myths say that her main lover was Ares, god of war. But according to this particular cult, Aphrodite's greatest and one true love was Adonis," Alexis mused. "She also had many children."

Helena's face saddened for the briefest of moments. She asked after thinking a bit, "I don't mean to keep you from your work. But can I ask a hypothetical question?"

Alexis interrupted, laughing a little, "You're not keeping me from work anymore. I'm enjoying our conversation immensely. It's not everyday, or any day for that matter, that someone bothers an Antiquities professor huddled in her cave with hypothetical questions."

Helena smiled, then turned serious. "Did Aphrodite have enemies? Or a tragedy of some kind? Something so terrible that she would want to forget who she was."

Alexis stepped closer, a look of utter shock on her face. She gripped Helena's arm, studying her. "I… I'm sorry. I can't believe what you're asking."

Helena asked, "Why?"

Alex answered, still quite taken aback, "I found manuscripts in this cave. They're tattered and so the story is in fragments. I'm still translating it. It's a new myth. A myth about Aphrodite losing her memory. To my knowledge, the only version of this myth is locked in my desk drawer back in Athens. I have to ask how you even thought of such an idea? Have you seen this story somewhere?"

Helena stammered, "N-no. I… I heard this story from a friend. I… I don't remember. Where they heard it. It sounded interesting, and, well, and, since I'm here with you, I thought I would ask about it."

Alexis gave Helena a look that indicated she thought Helena was full of shit. But she continued. The professor was anxious to see where the conversation would go. "Well, Aphrodite was the goddess of love. But like all of the gods and goddesses in the Hellenistic pantheon, she was deeply flawed. She was passionate, jealous, arrogant, willful, vain, competitive. So, yes, she had lots of enemies. And there is a myth related to her losing her memory in which her enemies seek revenge against her."

"Please tell me," Helena implored, sounding a little too desperate.

Alexis gestured for Helena to sit. Alex joined her on the cave floor, crossing her legs in front of her and leaning forward to tell the story. "The popular stories you learn in school basically tell you that Aphrodite was a beautiful bitch. You know, the head cheerleader in high school who dates the captain of the football team and puts her cleats on the necks of the nerdy girls who wear braces. Basically, a beautiful monster."

Helena laughed as Alexis continued, "But this cult picks up the story much earlier, giving details about Aphrodite's childhood. According to their story, Aphrodite wasn't always the way she was. She wasn't born a bitch. No woman is, if you think about it."

Helena smiled, liking the casual, edgy way Alexis told the story, as if she knew the goddess personally. Helena thought of Afrida - the woman she knew, worked with every day, made love to - as she listened to Alexis. "Aphrodite was born of the sea, perfect. She was the embodiment of love, even more beautiful on the inside than she was on the outside. She was so beautiful on the inside that a visible light emanated from her very being.

Now, no one knows who her mother was, but it is believed that she was a goddess. Not a named goddess, but the sea itself. The sea represented the primordial, perhaps the Earth itself. In effect, a part of Aphrodite was as old as the universe itself.

Her father was believed to be Zeus. Zeus had many children, but Aphrodite was special. She stood apart from all his other children, because of her outer and _inner_ beauty.

Zeus loved her, and young Aphrodite adored him. She worshiped him. Over time, Zeus saw how everyone reacted to his favorite daughter. Her beauty was captivating, mesmerizing. Zeus knew that eventually someone would deflower her. This idea haunted him, made him jealous. Zeus's gaze turned from doting father into … lust."

Helena shifted uncomfortably, not liking the direction the story was taking.

Alexis turned serious, "Zeus was the supreme god. He couldn't deal with the idea that another man would one day know such supreme beauty, beauty that he had created, while that beauty was to him forever forbidden. He … well there's no nice way to put it. He raped Aphrodite, repeatedly over a period of time. He sought to possess that light that emanated from inside her. In the cruelest irony, Zeus didn't capture that inner beauty. He destroyed it. That light disappeared."

Helena winced at this. She felt tears brimming in her eyes, and fought them back. Alexis gently touched Helena's leg, seemingly unbothered by Helena's strange reaction to a mythical atrocity. Alexis continued, "Zeus raped her until that inner light turned into darkness. Then he snapped out of his incestuous lust, regretting the evil he had done to Aphrodite. But he mainly was very concerned about his image.

Zeus manipulated his human adherents, so the popular story that you read in classical literature is that Zeus _attempted_ to force himself on Aphrodite, but she escaped. This story looks bad, but not as bad as the truth according to the cult that worshiped in this cave, which was that Zeus was in fact a serial rapist of his own child.

I like this story because it offers a much more complex view of Aphrodite. Not just that she is a pretty bitch who wasn't very nice and was deservedly hated by most other gods and goddesses. She grew cold because of what Zeus, her own father, did to her, the taking of her innocence.

She became cynical about her physical beauty, and used it to her every advantage. As her inner beauty diminished, her external beauty magnified. Her response to the horror that was done to her was a perfectly understandable coping mechanism. She basically said, "life's a bitch, now so am I."

Helena smiled knowingly, "I love Catwoman, too. Michelle Pfeiffer was fierce."

Alexis nodded, "I agree."

Helena asked, "So why did other gods and goddesses hate her?"

Alexis replied, "For one, because they didn't know the truth about what Zeus did to her. Zeus went to great lengths to keep his crimes a secret. He forgave Aphrodite whatever bad or mischievous acts she did because he was afraid she would expose the monster that Zeus really was. I mean, it was kind of like the quid pro quo that happens in some human child abuse situations. The abuser bribes the child to keep the abuse secret.

So from the outside looking in, to those who didn't know the truth, which was everyone, it looked like Zeus the loving father unfairly spoiled his beautiful daughter because of her physical attributes. So other gods and goddesses were understandably very jealous. They consoled themselves with the belief that Aphrodite, however attractive she looked on the outside, was heinous on the inside.

Over time, many members of the pantheon went to Zeus to complain about Aphrodite, over some betrayal or insult or just plain jealousy. They felt that Aphrodite seemed to always be getting away with something. Zeus would placate them, but never really curb Aphrodite's behavior. That was the silent deal they struck. Zeus let her do whatever she wanted, and in return Aphrodite said nothing about what Zeus did to her."

"So who were her enemies?" Helena asked, feeling fearful for the goddess even though all of the events Alexis described had already happened.

Alexis gave a small smile, "The question really is _who wasn't_ her enemy. At some point most of her lovers were angry about being rebuffed or replaced. But her biggest enemies were other goddesses – Artemis, Persephone, Athena, Hera."

"Why?" Helena asked.

Alex leaned in and looked reflective, remembering the stories. "Well, Artemis was another of Zeus's daughters. She never wanted to be married, as was custom, so she convinced Zeus to allow her to remain an unmarried virgin. Zeus, perhaps remembering how he had sullied Aphrodite, agreed to Artemis's request. Artemis was jealous of Aphrodite's beauty, and chided her by calling her a whore.

Aphrodite countered that Artemis was a repressed lesbian, who insulted same-sex love by emphasizing chaste sisterly bonding over, well, hot sex."

Alexis and Helena both blushed. Alexis pushed past the embarrassment, and continued, "To Aphrodite, there was nothing sisterly about same-sex romance and love. It was as passionate, as unchaste, lustful and unabashed as heterosexual love. While Artemis made the argument that her view of sisterly love elevated love between women, Aphrodite countered that Artemis's idiotic denial of sexual desire diminished lesbian love.

Well, apparently Aphrodite had the better argument in this debate. What Artemis withholds Aphrodite freely gives, and it seems potential acolytes preferred the giving of hot sex and love over the withholding and replacement of said hot sex and love with sisterly, chaste friendship.

Aphrodite is the goddess of all forms of mutually consensual lovemaking. So, as you can imagine, the goddess of love didn't have much trouble finding worshipers to sign on to what she had to offer."

Helena smiled, agreeing.

Alexis explained, "But the biggest victory for Aphrodite in this debate with Artemis came when Sappho chose Aphrodite as the goddess of lesbian love. Sappho believed that it was Aphrodite, not Artemis, who embodied the unique way that women could make love to one another – the intensity of connection and intimacy that comes from knowing the other's body so well because it is like your own."

Helena's mind wandered as images of her and Afrida's lovemaking flashed in her head. She felt arousal warming her. She shook her head, pushing away the erotic thoughts.

Alexis smirked, as if reading Helena's mind. She continued, "So that's why Artemis hated Aphrodite."

Helena asked, "And the others?"

Alexis moved to the next story. "Persephone hated her for breaking a deal brokered by Zeus over Adonis; and as an aside her other male lovers hated her for elevating Adonis to the status of her one true love. Adonis was orphaned when he was a baby. He was at least part god, but also part human. Oh, and basically it was Aphrodite's fault that Adonis lost his parents. She caused Adonis's mother to develop an incestuous attraction to her own father. Adonis was the product of this union, and the incestuous relationship is what ultimately caused the destruction of Adonis's family."

Helena frowned, "Why would Aphrodite do something like that?"

Alexis smiled, "In a word, boredom. Aphrodite had disliked Adonis's mother, Myrrha, for a long time before Adonis was born. Myrrha was a beautiful bitch. Aphrodite was a beautiful bitch. Beautiful bitches tend not to like sharing each other's space, and the two of them hated each other.

Aphrodite cast a spell to make Myrrha become attracted to her own father, largely so that she could enjoy the fallout and see Myrrha get her comeuppance. That Myrrha got pregnant with Adonis by her own father was just ... an added bonus."

Helena looked shocked. She couldn't picture … someone … like Afrida, doing something so cruel.

Alexis saw Helena's shock and tried to explain. "This sounds shocking, I know. But you have to remember that these are gods and goddesses we're talking about. They are immortal, have lots of power, and lots of human traits, both good and bad. And lots of time on their hands to do shit to each other. I'm not saying any of this is good. I'm just saying in the context of the story, Aphrodite's actions were mischievous with a _touch of_ evil, as opposed to downright evil." Alexis smiled to herself at this idea.

Alexis considered something else, then said, "Also, somewhat in Aphrodite's defense, she had been defiled by her own father and had grown hardened because of that experience. This may have played some psychological role in her particular choice to get back at Myrrha in the way that she did."

Helena nodded. _I see._

Alex continued, "So …, Aphrodite found the orphaned Adonis and saw how beautiful he was. How beautiful he was going to become. She wanted to save him for herself, but didn't want to mother him. And she wanted to keep others at bay as he grew older and became more and more handsome. So she locked him in a box, intending to keep him there until he grew into a man. Aphrodite gave the box to Persephone for safekeeping in Hades, intending to retrieve him when he came of age.

Persephone's curiosity got the better of her and she peeked in the box. When she beheld the beautiful boy, she instantly fell in love with him. When Aphrodite returned for Adonis, Persephone refused to give him back.

Well, a battle ensued, and Zeus had to intervene to keep the two goddesses from warring with each other. He brokered an agreement in which Adonis would spend half the year with Persephone and half the year with Aphrodite. Zeus wouldn't have given in to Persephone at all, except he needed her for political alliances.

Aphrodite was pissed. She doesn't share well, especially not when it comes to something she really wants. And she _really_ wanted Adonis. Moreover, she felt she had a rightful claim to him, having found him first.

Eventually, Adonis grew to love Aphrodite exclusively during their time together, and he ultimately rejected Persephone. Aphrodite claimed that Adonis was her one true love and that he grew to love only her on his own, but Persephone believed that Adonis's affections were influenced by a spell cast by Aphrodite. Aphrodite was known to cast spells that influenced the affections of others. It was one of her favorite things to do, often with mischievous intent.

Persephone appealed to Zeus that Aphrodite had made a mockery of the gods' rules by violating the deal to share Adonis. Zeus threatened punishment, until Aphrodite privately reminded him that it was he who had violated the most sacred of rules. It was Zeus who made Aphrodite what she was. Zeus succumbed to this blackmail and basically told Persephone to get over it. So that is why Persephone hated Aphrodite."

Helena thought through what Alex had just told her, then asked, "Why Adonis? How could she be attracted to … a child?"

Alexis leaned in, particularly interested in Helena's question. "I see your discomfort with this story. Perhaps you are wondering whether Aphrodite developed an abnormal attraction to children because of what her father did to her?"

Helena nodded, her face showing the sadness she felt on the inside.

Alexis shook her head. "No, no. That's not it, if we look at the story. There's nothing to suggest that Aphrodite was pedophilic, or that she would have ever violated the line that separated her, the adult, from the _child _Adonis."

Alexis thought for a moment, and then said, "I think I have a way of explaining to you how I see it. I have a good friend whose husband is twenty-two years her senior. She sometimes gets in a mood and muses with her husband about the reality that, if they could go back in time, they would come to a point where she is a child not of age, and her husband is a grown man.

She asks him what he thinks he would feel if he had met her as a child, and what would he do? Her husband, a very intelligent man, gives virtually the only right answer. He tells her he thinks that it would be love at first sight, and that, of course, he would wait for her to be old enough for him."

Alexis chuckled, and drew a small laugh out of Helena. Helena quipped, "He showed himself to be madly in love with only her and not a pervert."

"Precisely," Alex replied. "So, I think this story of Aphrodite and Adonis is sort of my friend's hypothetical brought to life. Aphrodite meets her true love at a time when she cannot act on that attraction and love. So she waits. Or, I should say, she doesn't violate the line between her and Adonis. She is the goddess of love, after all."

Helena frowned, "And ... she put him in a box until he grew up?"

Alexis laughed, "It's an allegory. You can say that she put him in an actual box, or that she put him _away _from her, in a safe place with a supposedly trustworthy caretaker. Now a view of Aphrodite as a bitch would say she treated Adonis as a possession and didn't care for his well-being and safety.

However, when I read her background and consider her actions in the context of what her father did, I think she put him away from her so that she would not even be tempted to violate his innocence. This shows that despite what happened to her, Aphrodite still retained some, maybe a lot, of her inner light."

Helena asked, "So that explains _how_ she could be attracted to him. But still, why him?"

Alexis mused out loud, "Adonis was … beauty incarnate. Perfection. His body was perfect, but he also was, in terms of Aphrodite's particular needs, perfect on the inside as well. He was naïve, childlike and innocent in his view of the world, especially since he had spent his entire life sheltered in Hades.

Aphrodite was attracted to his innocence, his childlike wonder. She was attracted to him because he gave her back something vital that was taken from her. He wasn't the deepest person intellectually, but he was very emotionally warm. This appealed to the goddess immensely.

Note that Adonis was emotionally warm but not emotionally _mature_; he was a teenage boy, after all. But then who could match Aphrodite in this category anyway? She didn't need Adonis to be emotionally mature. She already possesses enough of that for the entire world. But what she did need was to play, to laugh, to run barefoot through grass, to be childlike and silly. That is what Adonis gave to her."

Helena smiled as she thought of Afrida and Quinn endlessly playing and seeking ways to fight crime and eradicate evil.

Alexis continued, "And that is why Aphrodite was so pissed when Persephone claimed Adonis. Persephone may have _wanted_ Adonis, but Aphrodite _needed _him, so much so that she disobeyed Zeus's edict and took him back completely. And that is why Persephone hated Aphrodite."

Helena tried to process the enormity of Aphrodite's troubles. She said, "It sounds like it was just a matter of time before someone plotted Aphrodite's demise."

Alexis agreed, "Yes, the attack against her was a long time in the making. Zeus resisted numerous calls for Aphrodite's head, which was a continual source of stress for him. But Aphrodite's conflict with Athena and Hera was the last straw.

Athena and Hera hated Aphrodite because they felt she cheated her way to the title of _Fairest Goddess of All_. So . . . there was a wedding, to which all of the gods and goddesses were invited, except for Eris, the goddess of discord."

Helena joked, "I could see why no one would want Eris at their wedding."

Alexis laughed, "Indeed. Eris tried to enter the wedding and was turned away, which totally pissed her off. Well, Eris isn't the goddess of discord for nothing. She can wreak havoc without even being in the room. She lobbed a golden apple into the midst of the festivities, and labeled it, "To the fairest goddess."

Helena smiled as she listened to the story unfold. Alexis smiled back, enjoying seeing the story through Helena's eyes. She continued, "Three goddesses laid claim to the golden apple – Athena, Hera and, of course, Aphrodite.

Zeus tried to mediate the triple claim to the golden apple. He commanded his son Hermes to bring the goddesses to Paris, Prince of Troy, so that he could choose the fairest, most beautiful goddess. Now all three goddesses offered Paris favors, essentially bribing him for his vote. But, as these things go, the losers, Athena and Hera, accused the winner, Aphrodite, of cheating.

Athena and Hera bribed Paris with honor and victory in battle, and with the promise of a happy marriage and family life after his days of war. Aphrodite shrewdly promised Paris the woman of his dreams - the most beautiful non-goddess, Helen of Sparta. Paris easily agreed to this deal and, in return, chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess. Well, Athena and Hera were so angered by this that they used their war powers against Paris, declaring themselves enemies of Troy.

There also was a not so minor problem with Aphrodite promising Paris that he could have Helen of Sparta. You see, there had already been a long contest for Helen's hand, and she was betrothed to another. This did not stop Paris from kidnapping Helen to be his wife, helped along by a spell cast by Aphrodite that caused Helen to fall in love with Paris. This act led to the Trojan War, with Athena and Hera on the side of the Spartans. Aphrodite remained loyal to Paris and sided with the Trojans."

Helena interjected, "But wait, Athena was the goddess of war."

Alexis agreed, "Yes, and wisdom. And Hera was the goddess of women and marriage."

Helena frowned, "So Sparta had Athena's wisdom and war powers working on their side, as well as the legitimacy of Helena's Spartan marriage supported by Hera. How could Aphrodite beat those odds with love and beauty?"

"You've heard the expression _love conquers all _?" Alexis asked.

Helena nodded thoughtfully.

Alexis explained, "Aphrodite, the embodiment of love, proved relentless in her support of Paris and the Trojans. This, ultimately, was her downfall. You see, the gods had a sacrosanct rule. They involved themselves in the affairs of humans, but never directly.

You are correct that Aphrodite probably couldn't match Athena and Hera's influences from the heavens. But she did the unthinkable in her zeal to support Paris. She inserted herself_ directly_ into an earthly conflict.

We know the end of the story, that the Spartans eventually penetrated the city of Troy with the Trojan horse, ultimately destroying Troy and winning the war. But the war lasted for many years longer than it would have because Aphrodite took a human form and personally intervened on Troy's behalf, even to the point of being injured in battles.

The Trojans may have eventually won the war, but Zeus countered Aphrodite's influences by himself intervening. He used the war to further his personal goals of destroying humans to lessen the burden caused by humans on Gaia, the Earth. Like everything Zeus did, his actions were motivated by political ambitions. But Zeus came away clean, and the pantheon of gods only focused on Aphrodite's wrongdoing."

Helena exclaimed, taking all of this a bit too personally, "But how is that fair, when Zeus intervened in the war, as well?"

Alexis raised a pointed finger, "Not so fast. Zeus could say, and did say, that he only intervened to undo Aphrodite's interventions, to undo the harm she had done, so to speak. At the end of the day, the Trojan War would not have happened had Aphrodite not mesmerized Helen, making her think she was in love with Paris.

Troy was destroyed because Paris had to have a woman, but it was Aphrodite who put the idea in his head in the first place, and she further facilitated things by casting a spell. The story went that Aphrodite was such a self-absorbed bitch that she changed the course of human history and caused countless human deaths, all so that she could be reminded that she was the most beautiful goddess of all."

"So what happened then?" Helena asked, still angry about what she had just heard.

Alexis was about to answer, when her cell phone rang. She took a glance at it and frowned. "Excuse me, Helena. I have to take this."

Alexis pressed a button and placed the phone to her ear. "Yes… No, I'm still at the site… No, but - … Look, I – Phillip! Okay, okay. I do care! … I cannot get into this right now with you. I really can't… Look, I'll be there soon, but right now I have to go."

Helena averted her eyes, trying to ignore the conversation, which sounded quite heated. She could hear the other person's voice, a man. He sounded increasingly agitated as the conversation proceeded.

Alexis placed her cell phone back in her vest pocket. She ran her hands through her chocolate curls and smiled sheepishly at Helena. "Sorry. Uhm … that was my husband Phillip."

Alexis paused for a moment, then said, "Seems funny that I'm so fascinated with the goddess of love when my marriage … let's just say it's having its moments right now."

Helena quickly interjected, "Alex, you really don't owe me any explanation."

Alex nodded her head. There was several seconds of awkward silence. Helena looked around the cave, thought for a moment, then said, "How did you end up in this field?"

Alex reflected, then said, "I always had an interest in classical languages and literature. My interests became more focused on the Hellenistic period when I met this really smart, handsome Greek boy in grad school."

Helena smiled and said, "Well that sounds like a romantic story."

Alexis nodded, "Yes, it was. We were brought back to reality, however, when I went home to Athens to meet the Greek parents. Let's just say they weren't approving of the black American girlfriend, no matter how much she loved Greek culture and history."

Helena pursed her lips, looking sympathetic to the situation. Alexis gave a little smile, "I've spent the past eight years trying to be the perfect Greek wife. I moved to Athens. I converted – Greek Orthodox, of course. Most of his family is here. Sometimes it feels like I'm a sheep among wolves."

Helena winced a little at the analogy. She didn't know what to else to say, so she just listened. Alexis shook her head vigorously, as if she was literally shaking away unpleasant thoughts out of her head. "Anyway, I've got to go soon. We're meeting Phillip's sister and her husband for dinner.

Helena pushed herself up, preparing to leave. Alexis rested a hand on her leg and gently but firmly pressed down. _Stay._

Helena protested, "But I don't want to make you late."

Alex continued, "No, no. I want to finish telling you. This is far more interesting than listening to my sister-in-law bitch about her job. This is Greece. She should be thankful to have a job."

Helena laughed, and then so did Alex, as she remembered her place in the story. "Where were we? Oh, what happened to Aphrodite? So, the Trojan War was kind of the last straw. Gods and goddesses had gone to Zeus about Aphrodite many times in the past, to no avail. But this was serious.

Zeus always managed to give some excuse for Aphrodite's behavior. But this time there was a coalition. They went to Zeus en masse. And remember that Zeus had allowed the Trojan War to escalate because it advanced his personal interests. But this ultimately placed him in a difficult position.

There was a strict prohibition against gods and goddesses getting directly involved in human affairs. Aphrodite's violation was clear. So Artemis, Persephone, Athena and Hera came to him with this very clear violation, and demanded that he enforce the law. They wanted Aphrodite reduced in station, banished from the heavens, at least dishonored. Each demand sounded too harsh, and Zeus refused.

Finally Persephone argued that at the very least Aphrodite should lose Adonis. This shouldn't be that big of a deal. Adonis was just the latest in a long line of lovers. Aphrodite would hurt for a minute, then move on to the next one. This was Persephone's argument, even though she knew full well what Adonis meant to Aphrodite.

Zeus was still reluctant, arguing that Aphrodite was good on the inside, just misunderstood. He, of course, could not say how he was so positive that Aphrodite was good deep down, not without revealing what he had done to her.

Hera, his wife, was always good at twisting an argument. First she suggested that maybe Zeus had been secretly working with Aphrodite to violate the rules about getting involved in human affairs. As Hera suspected, the accusation made Zeus very nervous.

Hera then offered that if Zeus was so sure of Aphrodite's inherent goodness, then he should give Aphrodite the choice to prove that she really is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Zeus saw no way out of this proposal.

Helena nodded, saying, "Hera made a threat, then offered him a way out."

Alexis nodded, smiling. "Of course. You're a soldier. A general, I see. I'm not surprised you understand how political intrigue works."

Helena smiled. Alexis continued the story, "The Fates, three goddesses who define the destiny of humans, brought Aphrodite before the pantheon, where she was allowed to define her own destiny. Zeus gave her a choice. She could either give up Adonis forever, or she could agree to be cast from the heavens with no memory of her identity."

Helena's mind raced as she remembered how Afrida had suddenly come into her family's life in 1944.

Alexis continued, "According to the edict, if, without knowing her true self, Aphrodite performed at least three selfless acts, she would regain her memory and more than 1,000 times her inner and outer beauty, and more than 1,000 times her power.

Zeus had the Fates bind Aphrodite's tongue, so that she could only answer _yes _or _no _to the choice she was given_. _This was to protect him if Aphrodite decided to publicly reveal that he had raped her. Zeus told Aphrodite that she could either give up Adonis forever and remain a goddess, or she could agree to be cast from the heavens, with no memory of what she was.

If she failed to evolve, she would eventually regain her memory, but she would forever be a lesser goddess and she would lose Adonis forever. She would forever live with the knowledge that she could have won back Adonis by being a better person, and failed.

Helena frowned, "That's a big downside."

Alexis nodded, "Yes, but the upside was immense. You see, if Aphrodite redeemed herself, the spell would be undone. She would not only regain her memory and her beloved Adonis, but she would gain many times more beauty, outer beauty and _inner beauty_, and power. Her power and beauty would be forever undisputed. She would essentially become the most powerful god of all, more powerful than Zeus himself."

Helena sat, utterly shocked, "But… why would her enemies ever agree to that? Why would Zeus ever agree to that?"

Alexis explained, "Well, they knew the deal would be enticing, and they wanted the deal to have enough upside to make it worth it to Aphrodite. The offer appealed to Aphrodite's pride. As predicted, she chose to believe in herself and be cast from the heavens. Adonis was cast out along with her.

Being cast out actually probably saved Adonis, since Aphrodite's other male lovers would have eventually killed him out of jealousy. They didn't understand how this part-human child could take the place of a man-god, that is, any of them, in Aphrodite's eyes."

Helena was confused. She asked, "But wait… you said Aphrodite's enemies intentionally made the deal so enticing that she was unlikely to refuse. Why would they want to do that, when they could potentially have to deal with their enemy basically being the supreme, most powerful god? Maybe even seeking revenge on them?"

Alexis smiled, and said, "Because her enemies never believed Aphrodite could pass the test. Even Zeus. He knew how thoroughly he had destroyed her with what he had done. He believed there was no beauty left inside her. And if Aphrodite was forever banished to a lesser station, it would be a way out for him."

"I don't understand," Helena said, bristling and puzzled.

"Well, Zeus could say that he tried to atone for the harm he did to Aphrodite," Alexis explained. "He could honestly say that he gave her a chance to be more powerful than himself. This was arguably sufficient penance for his heinous crimes. And if Aphrodite failed, well technically she would have only herself to blame."

Helena's heart raced. She whispered, "That's so unfair. She doesn't even know what's at stake."

Helena was so stricken that she forgot she was speaking of the goddess in the present tense. Alexis didn't seem to notice as she rose, gathering her things to leave. "I know it doesn't seem fair. The spirit behind the whole deal seems… wrong. But technically, it is fair. Being a goddess is a ruthless business. It's not for the weak."

Helena stood watching Alexis pack her things. _Speak. Say something. This may be your only chance._

Alexis saw the hesitation mixed with worry on Helena's face. She asked, "Go ahead. I can see you have another question. Ask it."

Helena paused, but gained courage when she saw the warm and expectant look on Alexis's face. "Suppose… suppose hypothetically… I'm just curious what you would say."

Alexis stepped forward and nodded expectantly for her to continue. Helena breathed out, "Suppose it was real. Suppose … Aphrodite really fell to Earth from the heavens, and someone found her. And the two of them … fell in love. Why would Aphrodite fall in love with that person?"

Alexis gave Helena a curious, almost knowing look. She answered, treating the hypothetical seriously, "There could be many reasons. Maybe the person had a quality that attracted her."

"Helena asked, "What kind of quality?"

Alexis pondered, "I don't know."

Alexis came closer to Helena and stared at her intently. The woman's intensity in that moment reminded Helena a bit of Quinn, which she was used to, but the scrutiny still made Helena nervous. Finally, Alexis said, "Well, if the person had your eyes, that would catch Aphrodite's attention, at least initially."

Helena asked, "Why?"

"Because you have eyes like Adonis," Alexis explained, still staring into Helena's eyes, as if somewhat transfixed. "Adonis had this striking combination of features ..., beautiful curly, auburn hair and piercing green eyes. Although your hair is black, the contrast and combination of your hair and your eyes evokes … I don't know how to explain it better. Gazing into your eyes would remind the goddess of him.

But the person would probably need something more than beautiful eyes to attract the goddess. There would need to be something special that made the person stand out."

Helena asked, emboldened now, "What if the person was supernatural?"

Alexis raised a brow, "Supernatural how? What is he … _or she_?"

Helena replied, "Several things, perhaps. Android. Vampire. Wolf. Fairy. Maenad."

Alexis's face moved through various reactions as Helena listed each kind of supernatural being. Her face lit up when she heard the word _maenad._

Alexis worked through the prospects, "That is a most interesting combination. First off, an Aphrodite without her memory would be very drawn to the wolf. Its protective nature would make her feel safe, especially if the wolf is an alpha."

"Assume it is," Helena answered confidently.

Alexis smirked. She thought for a moment, then asked, "What kind of fairy?"

Without hesitation, Helena answered, "Sky fairy."

Alexis, "Well, some of the text is missing, so I can't tell what kind, but the story goes that when cast to earth Aphrodite _believes herself to be_ some kind of nymph…"

Helena knowingly interjected, "A water nymph."

Alexis quirked her eyebrow, "Hmmm, a water nymph makes perfect sense, since Aphrodite was born of the sea. The ocean represents darkness, Hades, the nascent stage of evolution. In contrast, a sky fairy is the highest stage of evolution, an angel."

Helena asked, "And so?"

Alexis replied, "Well, nymphs and fairies are cousins, so to speak. So there's a natural affinity between them. And a water nymph at the beginning stages of her evolution would be instantly drawn to a sky fairy. The sky fairy represents what she is trying to become, a kind of guidepost for how to be … better, if that makes sense."

Alexis studied Helena for a long moment. "But the maenad is the most intoxicatingly attractive part of this hybrid being you describe."

"Why?" Helena asked.

Alexis answered as if it was obvious, "Because maenads were the keepers of the cult of Dionysus. They were the expectant brides waiting for their beloved god to return to them. You know this, yes?"

Helena nodded, "Yes, but why would that make Aphrodite so drawn to a maenad?"

Alexis, "Because maenads love _everything_ that has any connection to Dionysus, their god who comes. As a consort of Dionysus, Aphrodite was revered by maenads. Why, there are several maenad traditions about her. There are even maenad lesbian sex rituals that celebrate Aphrodite's return as a proxy for Dionysus.

There are other rituals in which female worshipers play the roles of both Dionysus and Aphrodite in a sacred marriage. I would think that for an Aphrodite without her memory, happening upon a maenad would feel like … coming home. It would feel the same for the maenad – an instant attraction. It would just feel, _right_ for the both of them."

Helena's heart raced. She tried to ignore the pounding in her head and chest. She breathed out, "And the android and vampire?"

Alexis thoughtfully replied, "No, those would not be obviously attractive to the goddess. An android is devoid of feeling. The goddess would find it very difficult to relate to a being who interacted with the world solely through intellect. That was the very thing she hated about Artemis.

And vampires, while passionate and sensual, are cold and they thrive on biting the skin. It's how they live and, so I've heard, biting is an important aspect of how they relate sexually. The goddess would not be fond of marring the skin."

Helena answered before she could catch herself, "The skin does not stay marred. The vampire uses its blood to heal the skin after biting."

Alexis smiled and nodded knowingly, "Thanks for that insight. I didn't realize. That's better, but being with a vampire would still involve a compromise, which means the goddess's love interest is in a most unfortunate position."

Helena asked, concerned, "Why do you say that?"

Alexis replied, "Because the goddess normally does not compromise. She cannot be tamed or possessed. She does not allow herself to be marked or owned. She generally does not submit to her lovers. She is always aloof and dominant.

I'm imagining in this … hypothetical … relationship you describe with this exotic hybrid creature that the goddess, alone and confused and without her memory, found a savior. A savior who makes her feel at home, safe, protected, loved, sexually satisfied.

And in exchange for this love and stability the fallen goddess deals with occasional analytical coldness that she loathes, allows herself to be marked with vampire bites, and often takes on the sexually submissive role. Am I correct?"

Helena nodded, slowly, and said nothing.

Alexis folded her arms and frowned, "She's not going to walk away. She's compromised too much. The goddess does not compromise easily. And when she does, she feels she's _owed_ something."

Helena thought out loud, "Well, why would she walk away? I don't want her to… I mean, maybe she can just … be happy. Be happy with the maenad hybrid forever and they can be in love and …"

Alexis shook her head violently, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No! Wrong!"

Helena was taken aback by the force of Alexis's words. Alexis moved closer and locked eyes with Helena. "I'm sorry, Helena. Can we say, hypothetically, that this exotic hybrid is _you_. And that _you_ found the fallen goddess and the two of _you_ fell in love. It's just that, my husband is pissed off and waiting for me. I'm already late for dinner but I want to finish this, and using _you_ in the hypothetical saves me some words."

Helena took a nervous breath and nodded for Alexis to continue.

Alexis spoke sternly. "If… if _you_ love her, truly love her, you cannot try to keep her. Possessive sexual love. Jealousy. Compromises and fits of rage… those are all hallmarks of the old Aphrodite. If she keeps doing those things she doesn't evolve.

She doesn't become a better person. She just proves her enemies right. And eventually, according to the judgment passed upon her, she will remember who she is, only to learn that she has been permanently demoted within the pantheon and she has lost her true love forever. She will be eternally stuck in a kind of hell."

Helena convulsed. Tears brimmed her eyes. "Then what does the … ahhh, fuck … what do I do? What am I supposed to do?"

Alexis answered, "You can't be possessive and selfish. You have to cut off the romantic relationship. The fallen goddess has to be given an opportunity to love in a deeper, more spiritual way, beyond her own personal and selfish interests. She has to be given the chance to truly love you, even if she can't be with you. I don't know how to explain it any better than that.

She has to be given the chance to evolve. To be … better. Accordingly to the myth, she has to do three … at least three things, the kinds of things that she did as a goddess for selfish reasons, but do them selflessly."

Helena asked, confused, "Like what?"

Alexis listed examples, beating her forefinger against the palm of her other hand for emphasis. "Give up a lover and still love them. Still genuinely want them to be happy, even if they don't belong to her. You can give the goddess the chance to accomplish this.

Uhm, allow someone else to have the place of glory, even if she knows she herself truly deserves the honor.

Fight a war because it's morally right, not because she owes a political favor or she wants to win a beauty contest.

Alexis paced the cave floor, then suddenly turned to Helena, excited. "How about the greatest love of all, according to the New Testament's Book of John. The greatest purest love is the willingness to lay down one's life, to risk one's life, to save one's friend. That's a kind of love expounded upon by many religious traditions."

Helena asked, "But if she did that she would die. Then how would she ever regain her position and power?"

Alexis smiled and shook her head, "No, you're not listening. I said she accomplishes the goal if she is _willing to die_. She cannot actually die. She's a goddess. But she doesn't know who she is, so if she willingly puts her life on the line it is still the greatest love, because at the time she does it she truly believes she is going to die."

Helena nodded, although she looked forlorn. "I understand."

Alexis grabbed Helena's arm in warning. "No, you don't. It's not going to be as easy as you just making up your mind to let her go. The goddess is used to always getting what she wants. She doesn't deal with rejection easily.

No one rejects the goddess of love. _No one._ This situation is potentially really bad because the goddess compromised a lot to be with you. She's not going to like feeling used and discarded. And if she doesn't change her ways she's going to be very dangerous when spurned."

Helena shook her head, panicky and confused. "Okay, she's a nymph. How dangerous can she be?"

Alexis interjected, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no, no, no, no. Again, you're not listening, Helena. This is very important, so pay attention. She's _not_ a nymph. She's the goddess Aphrodite."

Helena objected, "But you said…"

Alexis put up a hand. "I said _she believes_ she's a nymph. I said _she's forgotten_ she's a goddess. Nothing else has changed about her except what she remembers. What she believes. In reality, she's still a goddess. A very powerful goddess. With all of her powers at her disposal."

Helena's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to process the enormity of what Alexis was telling her.

Alexis, seeing Helena's confusion, rephrased the problem. "Think of the fallen goddess without her memory like a baby. A baby who has a finger always hovering above the detonator of a nuclear bomb. The baby doesn't even know the bomb exists or what it is. But if you piss it off, its gut instinct will be to press that button."

Helena shuddered. "What you are demanding is impossible!"

Alexis placed a hand on Helena's shoulder. She spoke softly, "It's not me demanding it. The circumstances demand it. You were chosen for this. You were chosen when you found her, or when she found you. She was drawn to you because deep down, on a primal level, she knew you were the person to save her."

Helena's eyes widened, and now she let the tears fall. In such a short span of time she had come to feel like Alexis, this woman she just met, was her lifeline. She didn't see the need to hide anymore. Alexis' demeanor told her she all but knew the truth, anyway.

Alexis pulled Helena into her arms and held her, rocking soothingly. She whispered in her ear, "You can do this, Helena. You are strong enough to do this."

Helena cried openly now, taking comfort in Alexis' embrace. "How?" she sobbed.

Alexis shushed her, "Use your love. Let her see the honesty of your love for her. Be as open and honest as you can. Don't pretend you no longer love her. Don't play games. Don't lie. Tell her the truth. About everything except who she is. No matter what, no matter how much she begs, you can't tell her who she is. She has to figure that out on her own. And the only way she can discover her true identity, is by doing the work of becoming better. She has to evolve.

She has to find the light that was once inside of her. You can be her friend and support her. But it's _her _journey. Hers and hers alone. She probably has to revisit places … painful places … that she's actually quite happy to forget. And she probably has to forgive, both herself and others, including those who have hurt her the most."

Alexis and Helena stayed embraced. Alexis rubbed Helena's back until she stopped crying. Helena eventually raised her head and stared at Alexis. She smiled weakly, "Phillip is going to scream his ass off at you."

Alexis laughed and nodded, "You're probably right. My sister-in-law will chime in, too."

Helena was struck with panic. "Please don't tell anyone about …"

Alexis shook her head, cutting Helena off. "Don't worry. I won't. Besides, I'm not sure exactly who would be the best audience to hear how I spent my afternoon in a cave with an extremely beautiful maenad android fairy wolf vampire. Oh, and by the way, she has eyes like Adonis and she's in love with the goddess Aphrodite, who fell to earth after being cast out of the heavens with no memory of who she is."

Helena laughed a rich laugh, understanding that her secrets were safe with Alex. "I suppose I never thought of it that way."

Alexis quipped, "Hmm mmm. People worry that I spend too much time in caves as it is. The only thing I'll be talking about tonight is Greek politics and economy. Woo hoo."

Helena released Alexis and headed for the cave entrance. She turned, looking genuinely thankful. "I can't thank you enough for … _everything_."

Helena was almost out the cave, when Alexis called to her, "Helena, can I… can I ask you something?"

Helena turned and smiled, sadness still in her eyes. "Anything."

Alexis asked, "I know you may not be able to, and you can say _no _of course, but … But it would make my life if when … when she remembers who she is, if I could meet her."

Alexis dropped her head, a little embarrassed. But Helena responded, mustering all the sincerity she could convey in her voice and her smile, "Yes. I promise, yes. If I don't get myself killed, I promise."

_**Somewhere Over the Atlantic Ocean: Friday, August 27, 2010**_

_**The Wisdom of GEICO and Oprah Helps Helena Make a Decision**_

Helena leaned her head against her airplane window and gazed out into the nothingness of the night sky. Her plane was climbing at an altitude that prevented her from seeing the ground below. She imagined Alexis somewhere down below, behind her now, sitting in a restaurant in Athens with her husband and in-laws.

Helena needed to keep that image of Alex in her mind as a way of reassuring herself that Alex was indeed a real person; and more importantly, that the conversation she had with Alex in the cave was real.

The more miles eaten up by her plane, the more the reality awaiting Helena in the States seemed to eat up the fantastical story she had heard back in that cave in Cyprus. Helena told herself that she lived in a concrete world that consisted of crisp uniforms and organized rules, the solidity of political unrest and occasional wars and a stable family life that for the past sixty plus years had added up to the number four.

But, Helena had also spent the past few decades enmeshed in a reality that included all sorts of supernatural phenomena, which the average human going back and forth to work everyday would be horrified to discover. That reality wasn't horrific to Helena. It was part of her everyday existence. And she herself was supernatural, as were her husband and son. With everything that Helena had seen, was the story of a goddess cast down from the heavens to earth really that unbelievable?

Helena's mind raced. Her possessive wolf nature screamed at her to forget this foolish story and return to the safe, happy, predictable life she knew and loved. Had the consequences for ignoring the story, as laid out by Alexis, not been so grave, Helena might have pushed the tale completely out of her mind. _A nutty Antiquities professor who spends too much time alone in caves. That's all._

This thought didn't sit right with Helena. The poised, confident woman she had spent most of the afternoon with wasn't crazy, or delusional. Helena therefore forced herself to entertain seriously the idea that what Alexis told her was true. In fact, the truth of this story would account for so much that had been questioned but accepted about the mysterious beautiful blonde who literally fell out of the sky and into their lives several decades ago.

At this point Helena had no idea what she was going to do exactly, or how she was going to do it. She was suddenly entertaining an existence that wasn't even within the realm of possibility for her at the beginning of this day. She needed time to think. To decide. Helena was suddenly glad that Afrida went to her apartment in Washington, D.C. She couldn't imagine what she would do had Afrida been sitting next to her, nestled against her arm. Or strolling into their New York apartment, expecting to retire with M and Helena in their bed. _Their bed_.

If Helena went through with cutting off a romantic relationship with Afrida, it was going to affect everyone in her family. It would devastate M, who loved Afrida and had come to depend on her to help him develop the small amount of empathic capabilities he had.

Movement next to her pulled her out of the deepness of her thoughts. Quinn's arm had bumped Helena's as he pressed on his iPad. _Oh my God, Quinn_.

Helena felt sick to her stomach. Afrida and Quinn were virtually inseparable. They _played _together, such play woven seamlessly into their day. While this observation was further proof of the truth of Alexis's story, it also saddened and frightened Helena. She couldn't imagine what Quinn's world would look like without Afrida in it.

And what about Afrida? Helena had seen Afrida jealous only a handful of times, literally. This was partly because Helena was not even mildly flirtatious or even emotionally assessable to outside suitors. Helena was always about her family, which gave Afrida immense security, since Afrida knew that she was undoubtedly a part of that family. Helena had no idea how Afrida would react to being told they could not be together anymore, but she knew it would be some combination of devastated, hurt, confused and angry.

Helena inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to ride through a sudden wave of nausea. She sat up and looked to her left. Quinn was in the middle seat and M was sitting in the aisle seat, sleeping.

Although Quinn was wearing his headphones, Helena's acute hearing picked up the same 30 second loop of music from something that Quinn had been playing over and over on his iPad for the last hour.

"Quinn, what are you watching," Helena asked, mostly to get her mind off Greek myths and fallen goddesses.

Quinn was, as much as he could be, enthusiastic about answering. "I'm watching my new favorite GEICO commercial."

"I thought your favorite GEICO commercial featured the gecko. You like the cavemen now?" Helena asked, a bit warily. Quinn's new media fixations often involved purchases of products featured in said media, and Helena noted the motorcycles and shiny jackets.

"Yes, but this commercial I find intriguing. I like the motorcycles. I think Afrida and I should get these motorcycles and jackets. The jackets would be an excellent symbol of our individuality and belief in personal freedom. And we could use the motorcycles to fight crime and eradicate evil."

"Hmm mmm," Helena said, noncommittally. Quinn had almost never met a cool jacket that didn't symbolize his individuality and belief in personal freedom, at least not since 1990 when _Wild at Heart _came to theatres. And the purchase of any media novelty that he desired was justifiable as helping in the fight against crime and eradication of evil.

The pattern was the same. Quinn suggested a purchase to M or Helena as a first resort. If successful, all's well. If unsuccessful, Quinn's totally reliable backup plan was to go to Afrida, who to date had never denied him anything requested, no matter how odd or expensive. It appeared that unless M and Helena relented, Afrida would be purchasing new motorcycles and leather jackets.

Helena sighed and her heart raced at the thought. She expected that after speaking with Afrida about ending the sexual relationship, Afrida would probably want … need to be away, at least for a while. She hoped it was only for a while. How would she explain this to Quinn?

Helena was feeling lots of things right now, but the most intense feeling reverberating through her chest was abject fear. She was terrified of hurting Afrida, losing Afrida, having Afrida hate her, and all the other unknowns her mind had tried to conjure up since talking to Alexis.

Quinn's voice pulled Helena away from her thoughts. "What does it mean, Mother?"

Helena turned and waited for Quinn to start the commercial again. She observed the full 30 seconds, then asked, as she so often did with Quinn, "You tell me what you think it means."

Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "The cavemen show up at this place. It is not clear where they are, but it is far enough away from their point of origin that they needed to use motorcycles to travel there. They park their motorcycles and walk toward the two women, who are smiling in a nonaggressive manner. They seem inviting. In fact, the woman wearing the black leather vest waves and smiles. But the cavemen turn around and leave."

Helena waited for a moment to see if Quinn had anything more to say. She then said, "That's a nice description. Why do you think they left without even speaking to the women?"

Quinn played the commercial over and over, studying the faces of the actors, especially the two cavemen. "They shake their heads and turn around. I … I don't know."

Helena saw her son struggling and she looked out the window. Her instinct was to give him the answer, and she always made herself resist. She knew he needed to do the work to figure it out himself. She said, still facing the window, "What do the cavemen do just before they shake their heads and leave?"

Helena could hear Quinn restart the commercial, pausing, restarting, pausing, rewinding. Finally, he said, "They look at the billboard showing the GEICO advertisement for motorcycle insurance."

"Yes, and what does the ad say?" Helena asked.

Quinn answered easily, because he and Afrida had already talked about other GEICO cavemen commercials. "The ad says that obtaining GEICO motorcycle insurance is so easy that even a caveman can do it."

"Which means?" Helena patiently asked.

Quinn knew this answer. Afrida had spent three hours one afternoon getting him to understand it. Quinn understood straightforward advertising messages, such as "pancakes taste good" or "car gets excellent gas mileage and therefore saves money."

He had a more difficult time understanding a commercial where the primary point was not the product itself, but getting the viewer to like the mascot, in this case the cavemen, and thereby like the company. The advertisement was primarily a vehicle, a storyline, to get the viewer to "like the mascot" and the series of commercials featuring the mascot. The idea was that if viewers liked the mascot, they would like the company and _any _product it sold. In this sense, the commercial is more like a television series than a traditional commercial; and the payoff is potentially greater than a commercial targeted to selling a single product.

Quinn said, "The advertisement suggests that even people who are not very smart can obtain GEICO motorcycle insurance because a caveman is capable of obtaining the insurance; and cavemen are not smart."

"Yes, and how do the cavemen _feel _about the advertisement and the billboard?" Helena asked, as she remembered that the first person brave enough to ask Quinn how he _felt _about something, as opposed to what he _thought _about something, was Afrida.

"They don't like it," said Quinn. "They don't like that GEICO keeps calling them stupid in front of so many people. Because …, especially because advertisements are designed to influence people's opinions. And so the GEICO advertisement may not only be calling the cavemen stupid, it may also be influencing other people who had no opinion one way or the other to think that cavemen are stupid."

Quinn paused for a moment, then said, "I like GEICO."

Helena smiled. "Then their advertising agency is doing its job well. Do you think that it is possible that the two women saw the advertisement?" Helena asked.

Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, it is probable, actually. The billboard is prominent displayed at the entrance to the venue. Since the two women are already within the venue, it is likely they saw the billboard as they entered."

Helena closed the loop on the analysis. "And so if the advertisement can influence how people think, and its message is essentially that cavemen are stupid, and it is probable that the two women saw the advertisement, does that give you any clue as to why the cavemen turned around and left before even saying _hello_?"

Helena waited for Quinn to think about it. She gazed out the window and pictured Afrida at home in her Washington, D.C. apartment, lying in her bed … touching herself. _Stop it!_

The wanton thoughts filling her head made Helena feel guilty. She hated to admit this, but if she was honest, Helena would acknowledge that a big part of her hesitancy was the simple fact that she loved being intimate with Afrida. Their lovemaking was heady and intoxicating, sometimes earth-shattering. The way they communicated in bed, literally, was unlike anything she had previously experienced.

But Helena loved Afrida, genuinely and deeply loved her. She knew that she could not be selfish and allow her decision to be dictated by her own lust.

Quinn said, a bit excited. "I think I understand. The women may think negatively of the cavemen if they have been influenced by the GEICO advertisement. They may think the cavemen are stupid, and the cavemen did not want to be friendly with someone who thinks they are stupid."

Helena smiled and nodded, "Yes, very nice. That's precisely it."

Quinn frowned, "But this conclusion, while possible, was not certain. Why didn't the cavemen speak with the women, investigate the theory before deciding to leave? Why didn't they try?"

Helena said, "The cavemen didn't try because they didn't trust the two women not to hurt their feelings or think negatively of them. They didn't trust them because they didn't know them. This was the first time they were meeting each other."

Quinn observed, "But the cavemen may have suffered a considerable loss. The two women could have become two new friends, but the cavemen will never know because they never tried."

Helena's eyes widened, then she sighed, as she proceeding to the logical conclusion, what she called "the therefore," more for her own benefit than for Quinn's. "But it's different when you know someone … really know someone. If you know someone, and you trust them, you're not afraid to risk that they might hate you. You take the risk and put yourself out there, because you have more information than just circumstantial evidence. You actually know who they are, deep down … _and you trust that everything is going to be okay."_

Quinn summarized their conversation by commenting, "Every major life event is an opportunity to choose love over fear."

Quinn's words surprised Helena, because they were a direct answer to what she was grappling with internally. She regarded Quinn and asked, "Is that from the book of John? The Bhagavad Gita?"

Quinn answered earnestly, "No. Oprah."

Helena smiled, "Of course." She couldn't help the pang of sadness as she remembered that Afrida and Quinn sometimes watched taped episodes of Oprah. She returned her head to its resting place against the window and closed her eyes.

If nothing else, this discussion with Quinn had reminded Helena how much Afrida meant to not just her, but her entire family, and especially her son.

Helena inhaled deeply and made a final decision, bolstered by the eminent wisdom of GEICO and Oprah. She was going to choose love over fear, and hope she caused as little hurt as possible.

* * *

_Don't want to hurt you_

_Try not to mess with your feelings_

_It's just a matter of trust, for us, for lust_

_Don't want to hurt you_

_Try not to fuck with your feelings_

_It's just a matter of trust, for us, for lust_

**Ending Scene Song:** _**Hurt You**_ **by The Sounds**

**Credits Song: Planet** **_Earth_** **by Duran Duran**

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies quoted in this chapter include _Batman Returns____._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Hurt You _by The Sounds.

(3) In March 2007, news outlets reported that Italian archaeologists discovered the world's oldest known perfumes on the island of Cyprus, otherwise known as Aphrodite's Island. The perfumes are associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love, and they were considered _aphrodisiacs_, which of course, help foster love, so to speak. :) To read some of the articles, **Google: Aphrodite perfume Cyprus.**

(4) The Greek myths discussed herein mostly follow the popular originals, including the myth regarding Aphrodite and Adonis. It also is true that local cults told their own stories that were not popularly known. I elevated the story of Adonis by a local cult in Cyprus. The popular view is that Aphrodite had numerous lovers and was not uniquely connected to any of them, except maybe Ares, god of war, with whom she had Eros, aka Cupid.

To my knowledge, there is no definitive explanation regarding why Aphrodite became attracted to Adonis, other than his exceptional beauty. I constructed a "local myth" to explain this unusual attraction of the goddess to a child. There could have been a myth about the goddess being cast from the heavens, right? This story of what happened to Aphrodite will have significance for our heroines later in the story.

(5) To see Quinn's favorite GEICO commercial, **YouTube: GEICO motorcycle caveman**.

(6) To hear the full version of the GEICO commercial song, **YouTube: sounds hurt you**.


	8. Helena Recalls the Man From Dallas

**Chapter 8: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Father and Daughter**

(Helena Remembers Her Life-Changing Encounter With the Man From Dallas)

**_Author's Notes:_** Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

(1) I am sorry for taking a bit long on this update, but once you start reading you will see why. To say this is a long chapter does not really do it justice. At more than 38,000 words, this is crazy. This chapter just kind of took on a mind of its own, and I followed the story where it led me. I think those of you who have decided to come along with me for this ride are not faint of heart, so you won't mind the craziness of all this. Your reward for reading this opus of a chapter will be answers to a lot of questions, some nice tie-ins to past seasons of the actual True Blood universe, major hints at some of what is to come, some (hopefully big) surprises and some tantalizing questions raised.

I thought long and hard about breaking this chapter up, but ultimately decided against that. This chapter became Helena's life-changing journey into an unexpected meeting with the Man From Dallas. Helena is normally so calm and measured, always so in control. But she finds herself in this situation where she is away from her family, out of her comfort zone, and totally shocked by each new surprise she discovers. On top of all that, time's not on Helena's side back in 2009, and she's got big decisions to make. This is overwhelming for her, and a little exhausting, and also exhilarating. I decided that breaking up this chapter into the five to seven chapters it could have been would disturb the flow of the story. Keeping it together as a single chapter, for those who want to read it in one or two sittings, will let you feel a bit of what Helena feels as she is immersed in the world of the Man From Dallas.

(2) Every epic story, from _Lord of the Rings_ to _Star Wars _to _Prometheus _to _Shrek_ (yes, _Shrek_) presents a decidedly spiritual worldview. The characters in the story must traverse this spiritual world, perhaps embracing it or resisting it or questioning it. However they relate to that world, that relationship with the spiritual shapes their growth process. I wanted that for Pam and Tara; and I guess, for Helena, Afrida, M and Quinn, who in many ways foreshadow what's coming for Pam and Tara.

True Blood presents a spiritual world, which I wanted to explore and enhance in this story. For example, True Blood presents a world full of all sorts of supernatural creatures coexisting with humans, necromancy, magic and interactive communications with the dead. True Blood describes its spiritual universe on numerous occasions. For example, in Season 2, Episode 11, Sophie Anne states, as if it's common knowledge that anyone with sense should have figured out, "Surely you know that everything that exists imagined itself into existence."

In Season 4, Bill tries to heal Sookie after she is shot during the showdown against Marnie and the witches, and it's not working. Alcide asks whether he has any other bright ideas that will save her. Bill says, "Pray." Alcide replies, "A vampire and a werewolf, who's gonna listen?" Bill seemingly agrees, suggesting that some supernaturals believe they are outside of a holy realm. I say "some supernaturals" because I don't think Sophie Anne would necessarily agree with Alcide and Bill's sentiments.

In Season 4, Episode 12, Tara refers to herself as an atheist, in response to Sookie asking her if she believes in heaven or an afterlife. In stark contrast, Lafayette, who is beginning to accept his gift as a medium, takes as a given that there is something after death in the physical world. At the very least there is a place of peace and a place of unrest, and LaLa takes joy in helping those spirits who need closure find a place of peace.

In Season 5, Episode 8, Claude and other fairies explain to Sookie that matter and energy are the same thing. They know that from Albert Einstein, who's half fairy, by the way. They further explain that energy is interconnected and can be manipulated such that one entity can form a connection with another entity. They then manipulate the universe's energy to allow Sookie to go back in time and psychically connect with Warlow.

And Lilith, prominently featured in Season 5, is a character discussed in several ancient texts, including Talmudic mystical writings, Kabbalah stories and a medieval text called _Alphabet of Ben Sira_. Since the Lilith of the real world texts rejected her original station as Adam's first wife, True Blood's recasting of Lilith as the first vampire weaves in a particular spiritual worldview that could have depicted vampires as outside the spiritual realm. Interestingly, the vampire bible turns this notion on its head by presenting a pro-vampire spiritual view in which vampires are at the center of the spiritual universe. Humans are, if not outside that spiritual world, significantly marginalized within it, since they were supposedly created solely to be food for vampires.

I've based the spiritual universe in this story on quantum physics. I know that sounds crazy, but I hope a few of you will go along for the ride. I think this fits with what True Blood has already given us. Sophie Anne's comment and Claude's description of energy sound a lot like quantum physics. The True Blood universe, if not based on quantum physics, is not at all inconsistent with it.

To spare those of you who want to skim the section on quantum physics, I've clearly labeled it. The very next section after that section tells you everything you need to know (for purposes of this story) about quantum truths in one paragraph at the beginning of the section.

For those who want to read the section on quantum physics, I tried to make it as readable and sensible as possible. It's hard to explain quantum physics in a few pages, but I tried my best; and I related it to things that are easier to understand, like vampires and some real world, everyday examples.

I also prefer, where possible, to ground my story in real world science and actual events. Quantum physics is so miraculous for this epic love story because it provides plausible, scientific explanations for many phenomena featured herein, including the maker/progeny bond, lasers and other anti-vampire weapons, the Tesla sun tower, teleportation, other planes of existence, hybridization of supernaturals, time travel and force fields, just to name a few.

(3) I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

(4) **Trigger warning: **This story mentions, but does NOT describe in detail, nonconsensual sexual activity.

**(5) Okay, I normally don't ask for reviews and love, but it would be great if some of you left me a note, even a short one. I'd like to know that I'm not alone and talking to myself in this chapter. LOL. Feedback also will let me know that you've finished reading and are ready for another chapter. :)**

**# # # # #**

**_Manhattan, New York: Saturday, September 4, 2010_**

**_Helena and M Without Afrida_**

It was almost midnight and Helena and M lay in bed. They were physically together, but otherwise miles apart. Helena lay on her back, and M lay next to her on his right side, his back facing her. They had just finished making love, or more accurately _trying _to make love. Their intimacy was decidedly different tonight, in a bad way, largely due to the absence of Afrida.

Helena briefly turned her head to the right and watched her husband. His broad muscular back moved gently, ever so slightly, as he breathed, but his left arm jerked up and down rapidly. Helena knew M was trying to give himself the physical release that wouldn't come when they tried together, and he was not happy right now.

Helena felt tense, unsettled, and queasy. She had felt some variant of this all week, ever since she returned from Cyprus. Like M, she was pent up and needed release, but her need was more emotional than physical. She was exhausted from the hyperactivity of thoughts racing through her mind, the swell of blood pumping too swiftly and forcefully through her veins and heart, and the heaving of her chest and stomach as she continuously fought off unexpected bouts of nausea.

Helena frowned as she watched M struggle to make himself cum. He was decidedly a creature of habit, especially when it came to his family life and his sex. He could be an unpredictable lover, but only within the context of safe and stable parameters. The sudden absence of Afrida, with no warning, was more than M could take, especially since Helena hadn't given him any real explanation regarding why she was unilaterally imposing this separation on everyone.

Helena needed to buy herself some time, so she told M and Afrida soon after returning from Cyprus that she was going through something and she needed some space. She promised to explain later. Afrida would have normally protested, but the blonde had just gone through a similar experience of her own. She suddenly felt ill and left Cyprus on the next plane heading to Dulles Airport, so the idea of needing some occasional alone time was fresh in her mind. Thus, Afrida relented and gave Helena what she asked for.

But Afrida had worriedly asked Helena, more than once, if she was angry because Afrida left Cyprus without telling her first. Helena emphatically stated that what was going on with her had nothing to do with Afrida's sudden illness in Cyprus. Helena felt pangs of guilt over this answer, wondering whether this was a lie that violated Alexis Stavros' rules about how to sever the sexual relationship. She decided that although Afrida's unexpected departure from Cyprus may have had something to do with Helena's being lured by the smell of exotic perfumes coming from Alexis' work den, that was extraneous to Helena's sudden distance from Afrida when compared to the direct relevance of the story she heard when she went in that cave.

Just like Afrida, M relented to Helena's request for space, but as time passed he began to increasingly pressure Helena for this explanation she promised. He grew angrier by the day. Tonight was the culmination of a week of unanswered questions.

Helena sighed as she turned her head to once again stare at the ceiling. She casually moved her left hand downward and placed it between her legs. She was already exhausted. She now explored the possibility of pleasurably working her way to a state of relaxation sufficient to allow at least an okay night's rest.

Helena felt somewhat aroused, mostly frustrated, and thankfully, wet. Her middle finger circled over her clit counterclockwise, applying the right pressure at the perfect angle; but her mind needed inspiration. She tried thinking of M, but he was lying right next to her, pissed off and occasionally growling. Helena knew the growling was directed at her, so thoughts of M were definitely not going to work.

Helena's monogamous wolfen brain naturally went to the only other place it could go - Afrida. Her hips automatically thrust upward into her hand, responding from years of practice to the stimuli of sensual images of Afrida running through her mind. This could work, except for the guilt now interspersed with those thoughts. It didn't seem right that Helena should use Afrida as her erotic muse, given that she was the one who had thrown the sex lives of both her confused lovers into disarray.

And if her own guilt wasn't a bad enough distraction, M's super loud thoughts were also impinging on her masturbatory fantasies. _This is fucking ridiculous. Stupid maenad shit again. I just know it. Of course, she'd pull this shit now. Bitch._

Although calling a female wolf a bitch wasn't generally an insult, and M had certainly uttered the word often during their lovemaking and at other good times, Helena most definitely disliked the hateful edge in M's mental voice as he thought the word now. She growled and breathed in and out to calm herself, tamping down her alpha nature that wanted to come at M for the shit running through his head.

Helena told herself that M had a right to his private thoughts, and it was unfair of her to angrily react because she had the newly awakened ability to hear some of those ruminations. She also kept her mouth shut because she knew that reminding M of this new ability of hers would further enrage him and bring to the surface the primary reason why M was so upset.

Afrida was an integral part of their family unit. Each member of the family had a unique and special relationship with the beautiful blonde. Helena's relationship with Afrida was both loving, and intensely passionate and sexual. Their sexual, emotional and intellectual connections had recently intensified as a result of their burgeoning ability to link with each other telepathically.

In the early years of their relationship, M and Afrida's relationship was mostly sexual. Afrida was insatiable for all forms of sexual union. She loved the intense emotional intimacy of her lovemaking with Helena. But she also loved the raw, animalistic fucking she had with M. M's sexual nature also was more versatile than Helena's in terms of submissiveness. M, much more than Helena, was comfortable with taking a submissive sexual role, allowing Afrida to be in total control of his pleasure and hers. This was something Afrida and M both craved and gave to each other.

M was created by the U.S. Army to be a soldier. Accordingly, his mind was occupied most of the time with military strategies, gaining and protecting territory, advancing the interests of the United States government and killing when it was called for. All other basic needs, including sleep, food and sex, were perfunctorily addressed, even enjoyed; but they were all secondary to his need to do battle.

In recent years, both Afrida and Helena noticed a sadness coming from M. At first, it appeared to come out of nowhere, and M wasn't sufficiently attuned to his emotions to explain it. Afrida started observing him more closely, and determined that M's sadness stemmed from feeling on the outside of the various overlapping circles created among the members of his family.

Afrida and Helena, of course, had their own extremely intimate relationship. Helena and Quinn had a special, exceptionally strong mother and child bond, which had been deliberately created by their military makers. Quinn and Afrida also had their own special relationship, which centered a great deal around play, and the fine art of fighting crime and eradicating evil.

In contrast, M's father and son bond with Quinn wasn't anything like the bond between Helena and Quinn, not even remotely. Their makers had deliberately created this chasm between M and Quinn.

M and Helena were monogamously paired by their Were bond, but the stark differences in their makeups interfered with the perfection of the imprinting that would have otherwise happened if they had both been solely wolves. All of these obstacles were the product of deliberate design, to aid in scientific study; and unfortunately no one had consulted the subjects being studied.

Helena suspected that the constructed but imperfect pairing between her and M is what allowed the two of them to accept Afrida into their relationship. Over time the three of them created a union that would be unheard of among most full-fledged wolves. It was an anomaly Helena, M and Afrida referred to as a monogamous threesome. There was no jealousy among them, and any pairing was permitted within the relationship. The idea never seemed complicated, at least not to the three of them; and in practice, their family and sex lives operated seamlessly and effortlessly.

Over the past several years, M and Afrida's relationship had deepened, and their emotional and sexual bond had taken on new layers of complexity. Afrida became intently focused on helping M access and awaken his inner maenad and fairy. Their sexual relationship evolved into a vehicle whereby Afrida helped M access his empathic nature. This had become increasingly the case over the past several months, and M had been making measurable progress in awakening the relatively small percentages of fairy and maenad that comprised his makeup.

M and Afrida had planned this week to attempt to enter something that Afrida called an "interconnected space." Helena had listened as Afrida explained it to M. _We will try to be inside of each other in every possible way. Once we are both inside of each other, we will work to form our own separate space on a non-physical plane of existence. I will use this non-physical space to attempt to see you as a non-integrated entity, with the goal of communicating solely with the fairy and maenad parts of you. We will give those parts of you practice and make them stronger._

In the days leading up to this week, M had been varying degrees of exhilarated, nervous and anxious, but he very much wanted this experience. Helena's sudden need for space away from Afrida had the most unfortunate timing. She had read M's thoughts on the matter. As the days wore on, he increasingly told himself that Helena was consciously or subconsciously (he mostly believed subconsciously) sabotaging his efforts to be more empathic. He regarded this as surprisingly selfish on Helena's part, since she had recently experienced a profound awakening of her own empathic abilities with Afrida.

Helena couldn't blame M for this. His feelings of being on the outside of his family made him feel not only sad, but sometimes paranoid. Although M was not built to feel jealousy, Helena received the emotions coming from him at times as something akin to resentment when it came to this issue. Helena was usually able to assuage these feelings within her husband soon after they surfaced by reassuring him that she wanted for him the awakening he craved. She would also allow him more alone time with Afrida to work on his emotional self. Helena would sometimes watch M and Afrida together, be with them but not participate in their sexual union, so that M could feel through their Were bond Helena's support and desire for him to succeed.

After being together for more than one hundred years, there were some things that were known and predictable. One of those things, at least for Helena, were the patterns of her husband's movements and noises as he closed in on cumming. Helena came out of her thoughts as she felt M's movement on the bed become more spasmodic. She breathed in deeply, silently hoping that M would be able, after much longer than usual, to cum and go to sleep. She tensed with anticipation as she saw his arm shift from rapid, jerky movements to long, slow strokes. _He's so close. Please._

Helena's heart sank when M suddenly broke the familiar pattern and began rapidly jerking his arm again. This was the equivalent of returning to square one. After several long minutes, M growled and suddenly stopped trying. He breathed rhythmically, sometimes emitting a low growl, a pattern that would have fooled a stranger into thinking he was drifting off to sleep.

Helena knew M wasn't asleep. In fact, she knew he was wide awake, sexually frustrated, confused and angry. It had been just over a week since M, Helena and Afrida had been intimate, which had never happened in their more than 65 years together. M was a creature of habit, and Helena knew that, apart from the sex, he was out of sorts simply because Afrida wasn't there with them. M also knew that Afrida was agitated and confused about not being with them, which caused him angst. And Helena wasn't giving him a logical reason for suddenly upsetting the balance of their family.

M swept back the covers and stomped to the bathroom. For good measure, he sent a booming thought Helena's way. _Fuck you! _A few minutes later Helena heard the shower. She knew the water was cold.

Helena placed her hands over her face and rubbed her eyes. The alpha wolf did not cry easily or often, but she felt tears pooling beneath her lids. She sucked in air, inhaling them back.

All of a sudden it was hitting home for Helena, how hard it was going to be to abruptly cut off the romantic and sexual relationship with Afrida. Helena had dodged storage closets and the many other usual sex spots christened by her and Afrida throughout Satellite Draco for the past week. She had managed to schedule work assignments in such a way that she had almost no time alone with the persistent blonde. But it was now the weekend, and it had been expected that she, M and Afrida would be together because, well, they had always been together.

While Helena knew that the threesome she shared with M and Afrida was much more than just sex, she had never thought through just how, until recently deliciously, interwoven it was. From the moment that Afrida had literally fallen from the sky and into their lives in December 1944, the four of them – M, Helena, Afrida and Quinn – had quickly become a family unit.

Their family had well understood routines, traditions and behavioral norms. Everyone understood the rules, and now after more than six decades together, so much went without saying. They seamlessly moved back and forth between Afrida's apartment in Washington, D.C. and the family's main home in New York. The ability to teleport made living in two cities effortless. They often had fun in Washington, DC, then retired in New York the same evening. They watched movies together, ate most meals together, and worked together. And of course, Helena, Afrida and M made love, often.

Their sex lives were so integrated that Helena had forgotten what sex with M alone was like. Even when Helena and M made love as a couple, which they did, they were never emotionally disconnected from Afrida. The goddess's presence permeated their sexual connection like air, fueling the fire between them. Helena had often wondered if this influence was just her imagination, but now after learning Afrida's true identity she knew that it wasn't.

Afrida's arrival had been a blessing. Helena's makeup, a good percentage of fairy and maenad, made her naturally empathetic. She craved emotional intimacy, almost needed it in order to attain sexual release. M's makeup was greater percentages of vampire and android. He struggled with feelings and emotional connection. He liked sexual release and sometimes needed it, but the process was more mechanical for him. He disliked Helena's attempts at emotional connection during sex, and was happy to allow her that outlet with Afrida.

In many ways, Afrida was the perfect bridge between M and Helena. She loved to fuck with raw abandon. No words. No longing stares. Just good hot sex and getting off. But she also greatly enjoyed slow, unhurried lovemaking, sweet nothings and prolonged eye contact. Afrida simultaneously invited Helena to fuck like an unfeeling wolf, and made it safe for M to make tentative forays into a pool of intimacy without fear of drowning.

Helena hadn't heard the door open, but she felt the deep green eyes boring into her, and knew without removing her hands from her face that Quinn was standing in the doorway. She spoke from behind a wall of palms and fingers, "Quinn, for the eighth time, no you cannot call Afrida. Don't ask me anymore tonight." She felt the eyes drilling into her skull for several minutes more, then the door closed and Quinn returned to his room.

She had always had the ability to read Quinn's emotions through their Were bond, and now she could read most of his thoughts. Quinn made no effort to shield them, as M so often did. For the most part, Quinn's thoughts focused on scientific subjects, work, whatever movie or other social media he was watching that week, strategies for obtaining more movie memorabilia, fighting crime and eradicating evil.

However, over the past week, Quinn had tried to understand the change he sensed in the dynamic among Helena, Afrida and M. Helena had preempted Quinn from speaking with Afrida. It was bad enough that Helena was pushing Afrida away. Afrida shouldn't be shouldered with the strange burden of trying to explain something to Quinn that she didn't understand herself.

Quinn had expected to see Afrida this weekend because, well, he always had. He had repeatedly asked why she wasn't coming over and insisted that he wanted to call her. As Quinn closed the door, Helena picked up from her son feelings of guilt and shame.

Quinn, being the logical being that he was, always tried to analyze and understand sudden changes in his environment. Afrida's unexpected unavailability to him certainly qualified as a major and sudden change. Quinn knew that typically when his mother admonished him not to do something, it was because she was preventing him from speaking or acting in a way that was, usually unintentionally, harmful. It therefore was not a huge leap for Quinn to interpret Helena's various prohibitions on his interactions with Afrida as evidence that _he_ was somehow responsible for Afrida's absence. His confusion, shame and guilt stemmed from this conclusion.

Helena lay in bed, listening to the shower and her own heartbeat racing. This time, the tears flowed freely as she processed that her son had never felt shame or guilt about anything, until today. Helena could not escape the overwhelming sorrow that she was the cause of these terrible new emotions in her son.

Helena wiped her eyes and willed herself to stop crying when she heard M turn off the shower. M returned to bed, dry, nude and no longer aroused. He lay on his back, pondering. He didn't like unanticipated change that was unrelated to his job or war; and unpredictability in his home life worried him. Helena felt him deciding on a foray into conversation with her.

M spoke, finally, his arm behind his head and his eyes on the ceiling, "What's going on, Helena? Why isn't Afrida here?"

Helena hedged, "I just thought maybe you and I could be together. Alone. Tonight. Maybe we could see how that was."

M answered, annoyed, "Well, we see how it was. I'm calling her."

Helena blurted out reflexively, "Don't. Don't do that."

M rolled over and glared at Helena. "Why not? I know she wants to come over. And I want her to be with us."

Helena stared at M, but didn't speak. She didn't know where to begin with explaining to him that they couldn't … _she_ couldn't continue a romantic relationship with Afrida.

"Talk to me," M insisted, the frustration in his voice on the verge of escalating into anger.

"I don't know how to explain it to you," Helena said softly.

"Usually, the best way to explain something you don't know how to explain is to just explain it," M said. He was now sitting up, giving Helena his focused attention.

"Well?" M pressed, making it clear that they were going to discuss this now.

Helena took a deep breath. "I'm frightened that if I tell you the truth, I'll lose you."

Helena meant she feared losing their emotional closeness and M's support. She knew the strength of their Were bond, and had no fear of M actually leaving her.

M calmly replied, "You'll lose me if you don't."

The silence in the room was suffocating. Helena didn't know where to begin, so she just said something. She knew M wouldn't like what she had to say, no matter how she started the conversation. "I've come to think that Afrida is being harmed by our sexual relationship. It's keeping her from figuring out who she is and where she came from. She needs to do that."

M responded, confused, "I don't understand. She has remembered some things since we found her. She will remember more as time progresses. Let it take its course. She has time. She seems to be like us. She's immortal, or at least long-lived."

Helena tried to clarify. "No, M. She has to do more than passively wait for the memories to come to her. She needs to . . . she needs to act. She needs to _do certain things _to spur her memory. And she won't do those things if she's spending all of her time with us fucking and playing house."

M shook his head, visibly confused. "I don't understand, Helena. How do you know this?"

Helena didn't think it wise to mention her conversation with Alexis, the professor in the cave. She struggled to sound coherent. "I… I think I know who she really is."

"Afrida? Who is she?" M asked, edgy and already disbelieving.

Helena knew what was coming. It was inevitable, and she took in a nervous breath. "A goddess," Helena breathed out.

M looked incredulous. "Excuse me? What did you say? A what?"

There was shock in M's eyes, but not surprise. He suspected that something like this was going on, but was nevertheless taken aback by the grandiose nature of this episode of what he referred to as Helena's maenad delusions.

Helena sat up and put her head in her hands. "I know what you're going to say, MacArthur. I know."

Helena, and to a lesser degree Afrida, were the only two people who ever called M by his full given name. Quinn would also be allowed this honor, except that he didn't even call his father M, let alone his full first name. M deemed Helena, and later Afrida when she came into their lives, the only two people worthy to call him by the name given him by the famous World War II General, Douglas MacArthur. Helena generally called her husband by his full name only when she needed to give him a subtle reminder of what she meant to him.

Helena's attempt to soften M didn't go unnoticed. He ran a hand through his pitch-black hair, choosing his words more carefully than he would have before he heard his full name drift from his wife's lips. He pointedly asked, "Does this have something to do with the Man From Dallas?"

Helena knew M would eventually find a way to shift this conversation to the topic of the Man From Dallas. He was still extremely angry and hurt on many levels by Helena's most recent encounter with the Man From Dallas, and no amount of explaining by Helena had, to date, fully pacified him.

During the summer of 2009, Helena had traveled alone to Dallas, Texas on a government assignment. There were rumors of a budding Sanguinista cell, vampires openly espousing attacking humans for food and sport. Sanguinistas viewed vampires as inherently superior to humans, based on a literal interpretation of their vampire bible. It was, accordingly, the god given right of vampires to do with humans what they would.

Sanguinista philosophy was dangerous, not only because it threatened the lives of humans. It threatened the stability of all society. Human citizens expected their governments to protect them. The mainstreaming vampire movement gave plausible deniability to the notion that vampires were murdering humans, even though members of local law enforcement knew for a fact such murders were happening. In certain hot spots like Dallas, Texas, Bon Temps/Shreveport, Louisiana, and Salem, Maine, unexplained missing persons and human deaths were occurring at an alarming rate.

Helena took a trip to speak with the vampire sheriff of Dallas, Texas. She also planned to speak with Steve and Sarah Newlin, the spiritual leaders of the Fellowship of the Sun Church, otherwise known as FOTH.

FOTH's rhetoric had grown increasingly threatening over the past year, and federal authorities feared an inevitable clash between FOTH members and vampires in Dallas. If said Dallas vampires were indeed Sanguinistas, things could get bloody and out of control very quickly. Afrida and M had a separate assignment in Forks, Washington, and Quinn was needed for projects on Satellite Draco; so Helena traveled to Dallas alone.

Helena needed to determine the existence, if any, and extent of angry factions within Dallas' vampire and FOTH communities. She also wanted to get a sense of how much of this dissidence was being orchestrated by the leadership of both groups.

Although it was rumored that this vampire sheriff Helena was going to meet had held that position for more than one hundred years, he was extremely elusive, at least to prying human eyes and human institutions. Surprisingly, the federal government had an address and managed to obtain a phone number, but had no photograph of him or even a voice recording.

Helena had called the number, expecting nothing but false leads. To her utter surprise, the vampire sheriff answered the phone and spoke with her. _I've been expecting you, Helena. I am waiting to meet with you._

Helena had no idea how this vampire sheriff knew her name or why on earth he would be expecting her. Assignments doled out by the VA Program were top secret. The vampire's confidence about Helena's identity and his anticipation of her visit made her wonder briefly whether there was a mole within the VA Program.

But Helena quickly dismissed the idea of a traitor within their ranks because … there was something … _familiar_ about the vampire's voice. She was certain that she had heard it before, more than once. In fact, she was quite positive she knew this vampire. The thought made Helena's heart race, and she booked the earliest flight possible to Dallas.

Helena arrived at the home of their vampire target and to her surprise, she was given a private audience with the Dallas area sheriff. It appeared that not even house servants were on duty, as the vampire sheriff answered the main door of his mansion himself.

From the moment she laid eyes on the mysterious vampire, who although ancient, looked so young, Helena knew that whatever she had planned to accomplish in this meeting was not going to happen. This was because, as Helena knew when she heard his voice on the phone, she had encountered this vampire several times before, six times previously to be exact. Several of those six times he had called himself by a different name.

**_Helena Remembers Her First Six Encounters With the Man From Dallas_**

Helena met this vampire for the first time in 1905, days after she was created and still bedridden in a military hospital. He was one of her earliest memories. He said nothing, or at least nothing that she could recall. Her memory of him was nothing more than a snapshot of his piercing blue eyes and brown hair as he stood above her. She sometimes thought she remembered him gently caressing her forehead. The interaction was so brief and infinitesimal that she forgot it.

This first memory of the vampire was resurrected, however, by the trigger of a second encounter with the same vampire in West Virginia in 1919. She was at a U.S. military facility being studied, and for some reason he was there, staring at her with those blue eyes. She couldn't be sure, perhaps it was the drugs she had been given, but she remembered asking his name. He gave an answer, but most times she couldn't remember what it was. Occasionally the name would come to her in dreams, only to be forgotten when she awakened. Helena could only remember what the vampire's name _was not_, and it was not the name he used in later encounters.

The third time she met the vampire was in 1936, the same day Quinn was born to her. The vampire said nothing about his name, or maybe Helena just couldn't remember because of the drugs the military scientists gave her intravenously during the birth to magnify her Were bond with Quinn.

M was kept out of the room while Helena delivered Quinn, one of the many techniques the Army used to diminish her husband's bond with his son. Helena hurt at the thought of this separation, and the pain engrafted within M because of it. But for some reason this mysterious vampire was there with her, waiting for Quinn. He was allowed to hold her newborn son, who quietly and calmly emerged from her womb with a full head of shockingly black hair and alert emerald eyes. The vampire held baby Quinn in the embrace of one arm, and reached for Helena with his other arm. His cool hand caressed her face. His fingertips smoothed her thick black eyebrows, redirecting droplets of sweat into a trail down her temple and behind her ears.

Helena encountered the vampire a fourth time in Augsburg, Germany in 1945 during World War II, and had her first real conversation with him. The vampire was dressed as a Nazi Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary officer in Hitler's Third Reich. His uniform bore a German name, but Helena gave that name no more credence than she did the many names _she_ herself used when infiltrating organizations controlled by Axis Powers.

The vampire told Helena to ignore the uniform. It meant nothing and he wore it merely to facilitate his travels through German territory. He claimed he was hunting werewolves. When Helena visibly recoiled and growled in alarm, he reached for her arm and said, "Not you, my child. Others. Full wolves, who I believe serve a vampire master."

The vampire slipped away when they heard a noise. Helena tracked him for a while, staying far enough back to see him but not alert him. The elusive vampire met up with a tall blonde vampire that she didn't know at the time, but later learned was Eric Northman. This tall blonde vampire was dressed in the same type of Nazi uniform.

During Helena's 2009 meeting with the mysterious vampire, she finally learned that Eric Northman was the boyish vampire's progeny, but back in 1945 Helena didn't know this. But even back then, Helena noticed how the tall blonde vampire looked at the mysterious vampire who had previously appeared in her life.

The blonde vampire towered over Helena's inscrutable stalker and looked older than him in physical appearance. But the towering blonde vampire gazed at the much shorter, boyish vampire with such reverence, submissiveness and adoration. The love and connection between them was palpable, like electricity in the air during a lightning storm. Helena felt a sudden sadness and longing, which distracted her. The two vampires vanished into the night, and she eventually gave up trying to find them.

The fifth encounter happened in 1953 in Washington, DC, the same year as the fire in the Pentagon that destroyed all, or almost all, records relating to M, Helena and Quinn's creation. The Army cleared Helena and her family of all wrongdoing, as multiple high-ranking generals and other officers gave alibis that accounted for their whereabouts for several hours on either side of every estimate of when the fire started. The strange thing was, Helena, M and Quinn knew that they had not in fact been in the company of any of the officers who provided those alibis so convincingly that they passed lie detector tests.

M advised his family never to refuse unexpected gifts that were beneficial and non-Faustian in nature, so M and Helena said nothing and went along with those helpful made-up stories. Helena made Quinn stay away from the subject entirely, except for a few scripted sentences that Helena had rehearsed with him.

One evening, after an interrogation session that went well past dark, Helena left the Pentagon's downtown Washington, D.C. office building to get dinner for herself, Quinn and M. She literally ran into the mysterious vampire.

He casually asked how she had been, as if they had spoken regularly about everything from the weather to family life since the last time they saw each other. She answered that she had been well, and asked how he had been. The whole conversation was surreal and strange, and Helena was aggravated by it, but at the same time she didn't know how to be. It was so unlike her, as she always knew how to lead; but something about the vampire made her feel like ... a cautious little girl.

Helena pushed through her alien insecurities and asked the vampire whether he was following her and how he always seemed to know where to find her. The vampire seemed about to answer, when an approaching older man with alabaster skin and unruly stark white hair suddenly walked up to him. The man was tall and handsome. He called the vampire with the kind boyish face by a name that made him sound like an evil warlord. The vampire answered to the strange name.

The tall man with the white hair came and stood next to the much shorter vampire. The two of them stood and gazed at Helena with … _adoration? _The tall white-haired man started several times as if he was going to say something to Helena, but stopped each time. A couple of times the alabaster man seemed to get a touch of … _the giggles? _The vampire gently held his arm, calming him.

The white-haired man finally said, a bit too rapidly, "You are so beautiful. Soooo very beautiful. I just can't believe … Well, well … Perhaps one day we will dance, or fly, or … we can do anything you want, really. Anything at all that you can dream of doing. Nothing is too much for my…," the vampire squeezed his arm, telling him to stop talking. "Goodbye."

The vampire smiled at her and told Helena they had to go. He paused for seconds that seemed like an eternity to stroke her cheek. The white-haired man reached to touch her, then got another case of the giggles. The vampire grabbed his arm and the two of them sped off into the night, leaving Helena looking after them, absolutely confused.

The vampire referred to himself by that same ominous name when Helena met him the most recent time in Bon Temps, Louisiana in 1991. The VA Program was investigating paranormal activities along a grid running through the Deep South. One of the cities on that grid was Bon Temps, which had recently experienced possible vampire activity, fairy sightings and various kinds of Were sightings, including wolves, panthers and possibly tigers. The magical sphere around Bon Temps was always intense, but during this particular time it was off the charts.

There had also been a strange flash flood in Bon Temps, which killed a couple on a bridge, leaving their two children behind. Interviews with locals indicated that although there was heavy rain the night of the flood, lower lying areas that typically became impassable during a rainstorm were unscathed. Helena would later learn that the two children left parentless that night were Sookie and Jason Stackhouse, who both were currently being watched by the VA Program because of their connections to vampires in leadership positions in Louisiana.

Helena's prior encounters with the mysterious boyish vampire were incredibly consistent. The vampire would interact with her briefly, saying at most a cryptic few sentences, sometimes saying nothing at all. He caressed her face lovingly and possessively. Even the engaging hold of his blue eyes felt like a caress; and to Helena's surprise she not only allowed it, but increasingly craved it.

After the first two surprise encounters with the youthful vampire with the old, sad eyes, Helena began to look for him, long for him to appear. After the fourth time, she saw him, sometimes with the white-haired man and sometimes alone, in shadows and around corners. She would chase after what turned out to be nothing; but she was never sure. Helena came to believe that the mysterious vampire, and sometimes the white-haired man, came near her many times. She could feel their eyes watching her. After the sixth encounter twenty years ago in Bon Temps, Louisiana, Helena began proactively trying to find the vampire. She wanted, needed to speak with him. She needed to know who he was and why he was so interested in her.

**# # # # #**

**_Dallas, Texas: Thursday, July 30, 2009_**

**_Helena Finally Learns the Identity of the Man From Dallas_**

_As Helena stood in the doorway of the Dallas vampire sheriff of Area 9, shocked and staring into those familiar, unflinching but inviting blue eyes, it seemed that the seventh time meeting him would indeed be the charm. She was finally going to have a real, substantive conversation with the elusive vampire, and hopefully get answers to her many questions._

_Helena's heart threatened to burst out of her chest. She couldn't speak as the sheriff graciously gestured for her to come into his home. Helena was far more interested in learning about this vampire's personal interest in her than addressing the governmental business for which she came._

_In their six separate encounters, the enigmatic vampire had used three different names, or no name at all. That day in Dallas, he called himself by yet a fourth name. With so many names, each one was meaningless to Helena. She remembered asking him, "Each time we meet it seems you have a different name. What do I call you?"_

_The boyish vampire replied, with a warm smile and the calmness of a shaman, "That does not matter, my child. One name is the same as the next. Perhaps it will be easiest if you simply call me, "the Man From Dallas."_

_And from that day in July 2009, that is what Helena most often called him._

_Helena was normally an extremely observant person. Her android mind readily took in the most minute details about her surroundings. But whenever she looked back on this encounter with the Man From Dallas, she found that she could barely remember anything notable about his beautiful home. She could not recall the paintings on the walls, the furniture, the layout of the rooms, not even the colors on the walls. She and the mysterious vampire might as well have been sitting in a stark white, empty room. All that Helena remembered were images of the vampire looming large and singular in her mind._

_Helena sat with the Man From Dallas at his elaborate dining table, which could easily accommodate forty people. He resided at the head of the table and Helena sat in the corner chair immediately to his right. Helena imagined the table full of vampire diners, and mirthfully noted to herself that hearing at a table so long was not a problem for vampires, who had exceptional hearing. She imagined the Man From Dallas carrying on a conversation with someone at the very far end of the table just as easily as with someone who, like her, was sitting right next to him._

_Helena and her mysterious vampire dined on fine blood wine from his special collection. The bottles were hundreds of years old. Helena had repeatedly tried to refuse. She was on government business, after all. Yet she had trouble turning down the delicious warm nectar in the face of the boy vampire's insistent hospitality. The Man From Dallas was dressed in flowing white pants and a loose, equally flowing white shirt. He looked like a mystic or a yogi, perhaps about to repose in meditation. Helena, of course, wore her military issue green Army uniform._

_The table, the room, the entire setting seemed too grand for just two people. But given Helena's awe at finally being in the company of the enigmatic vampire who had inexplicably stalked her for decades, the setting seemed oddly appropriate._

_"Isn't it unusual for you to be alone?" Helena asked._

_"Yes, it is. I usually am surrounded by vampires from my area, attending to some official business or simply enjoying the company of others. I always open my home to them. But tonight is a special occasion. After so many years of longing, my child is finally here with me."_

_Helena stopped drinking, her glass suspended mid-air. She made eye contact with the Man From Dallas. He was smiling adoringly at her. She was in shock._

_"I'm … I'm sorry. What did you just say?" Helena asked._

_The Man From Dallas lamented, "I wish I had more time, more time to lead up to this slowly, but I do not. In fact, for me, now more than ever, time is of the essence. I have so much to say to you, Helena. And so little time."_

_Helena repeated, trying to drown out the throbbing in her head, "What do you mean, you are finally with your child?"_

_"Helena, I am your father. I am your vampire father." The Man From Dallas smiled._

_Helena sat, speechless. She stared at the vampire sheriff. She swallowed. Nothing flowed from the dryness in her throat. She breathed, but it seemed no air would come into her, either._

_The Man From Dallas said, "When I saw you all those times before, Helena, did you think it was by chance? My blood runs through your veins, my child. It calls to me."_

_Helena shook her head vigorously, rejecting the notion. But in her heart, she longed for it to be true. "You can't just say something like that to me. I don't believe you. We … were never to know the source of … ourselves. How can I know that you're the source of my vampire blood?"_

_The boyish vampire smiled, "You do believe me, Helena. You are just afraid. You know me. You remember me, Helena. I was with you on the day you were born. And I was with you and your son … my grandchild, on the day he was born. You remember, yes?"_

_Helena nodded slowly. Her mind was dull and racing at the same time. She tried to process, but couldn't. She heard herself speaking, but was just talking because at this point any question was a good question. There was so much she didn't know, and she needed time to calm down. "But that doesn't mean … Were you kidnapped? Taken, by the government? Why were you there?"_

_The mysterious vampire sipped his blood wine and paused, deep in thought. Finally he said, "My arrival to the military facility that created you was voluntary, but the long journey that brought me there was not."_

_Helena stared blankly at the Man From Dallas, waiting for him to continue. He said, "By 1902, the year MacArthur was born, I had spent more than two centuries searching for answers to a question I hadn't asked yet. By the time I came to that military facility, I was finally asking the right question, and desperately longed for an answer. I came to believe that I had found that answer. I still believe that."_

_Helena frowned, puzzled. She asked, "What was the question?"_

_The boy vampire replied, "It is the same question that every sentient being eventually asks itself. It is asked many different ways, but each of those questions seeks the same answer. Who am I? Who made me? What made that which made me? When … where … what … how … why … who … was the beginning, of everything? And does that everything, whatever it is, include me?_

_When I was made a vampire, I told myself, foolishly, that I had become a god. I took whatever I wanted to take. I took the most precious thing, life, many times not out of need, but simply because I could._

_Near the turn of the century, of 1700, that is, I was completely degenerate, loathsome. I had long moved beyond enjoying the physical suffering of my victims. I concocted increasingly sadistic ways to make my victims suffer psychologically. I wanted, and believed, I could own their souls._

_One day in late 1689, I saw beauty for the first time in my life."_

_The Man From Dallas sat quietly, remembering. He smiled, more to himself than at Helena. _

_Helena asked, "What do you mean, you saw beauty?"_

_Her vampire host replied, "The day that changes your life forever … I can tell you, Helena, it doesn't feel any different from any other day. In fact, it starts out exactly the same as every other day before it. It's not until the thing that changes your life happens that you look back and wish that you had paid attention. If only you had known._

_I think today is one of those days for you, Helena. So I am going slowly. I want you to be able to pay attention. I want you to remember everything about this day._

_Just as today is for you, October 14, 1689 was one of those life-changing days for me. I was in England, and I happened upon a house, a family. I was alone and bored. I wasn't hungry for nourishment, but I was hungry for that family's terror, the look and feel of them begging for their lives, followed by their desolation when they realized I would not spare them, followed by the monstrous internal agony when they came to understand the torture in store for them, and especially their loved ones._

_The parents in this particular family, like so many others before them, begged me to spare their child, a baby daughter not even a year old. On prior occasions, I would allow the parents to believe that they endured excruciating torture so that their child could live, and then I would watch them die and eat their children for dessert._

_But this day, perhaps because the child was so young, so precious, I told the parents that I intended to kill them, then drain their baby daughter. To my demented joy, the fear in those parents' hearts increased a thousand fold. They were no longer scared for themselves, but they were terrified at the thought of leaving their baby girl alone with me._

_I tortured the parents, killing them painfully and slowly. To think, back then I savored the memories of my atrocities, and now those same atrocities are nightmares that I can never escape. But then I don't deserve such reprieve."_

_Helena couldn't help but feel the sadness she saw in the vampire sheriff's eyes._

_The Man From Dallas remembered, "I picked up this little baby girl. My fangs were bared, and I was covered in her parents' blood. Their last screams still lingered in the air. I inhaled, searching for the familiar scent of fear in the child, and to my surprise there was … nothing. I brought her close to my face. I scowled. I wanted … I needed her to be terrified before I harmed her physically."_

_"Why?" Helena asked._

_The Man From Dallas replied, "Because I had learned from years of experience that the dread of pain is worse than the pain itself. The fear of death is often worse than the act of dying. This dread … this fear … permeates the blood of humans. I could taste it. At the time I craved it, so much that at times I refused to feed on any blood that wasn't full of fear._

_Helena was thinking, and could not help but say, "But this was a child."_

_The Man From Dallas turned to fully face her, his face remorseful. "Yes, Helena. It is said among our kind that even for a vampire, the basest act of depravity is the killing of a child. The person I was then saw nothing wrong with such depravity. I didn't even view it as depravity, but as my divine right._

_I regarded that baby girl as mine to possess. To eat and kill. I told myself I was a god, after all; and she … she was nothing. I felt that if she could have spoken, she should have thanked me for deeming her worthy to serve as my muse for torture and a source of my nourishment._

_Helena winced at this. She could not imagine such a way of thinking._

_The boy vampire continued with a small smile, "Part of me wishes to avoid telling you the truth about who I was, who I am. It's quite a thing to discover in one day who your father is, and also learn that he is a monster._

_I have tried very hard to change, and I believe I have changed. I hope I am changing into something that you can be proud of, or at least … love."_

_Helena met the vampire's sad eyes and smiled a sorrowful smile at him. Her eyes filled with tears and she swallowed hard._

_The vampire observed, "I want you to know me, Helena. And for you to know me I have to tell you the truth, no matter how painful it is for you to hear it. All things change, but truth, and truth alone, lives on forever."_

_Helena's eyes widened as she recognized the quote about truth. The boy vampire smiled, "Yes, I know all about the Lone Ranger's oath. I told you, I have witnessed your life since the day you were born."_

**_The Man From Dallas Describes The First Time He Saw True Beauty_**

_The Man From Dallas' face lit up for the first time. He half-laughed, "That little baby girl, Helena. Do you know what happened to this self-appointed god as I growled fiercely at this baby girl, preparing to eat her alive?" The boyish vampire pressed both palms to his chest, referring to himself._

_The sheriff waited until Helena leaned forward with anticipation, then he said, "She laughed at me. She … laughed … at me. Can you believe it? It was delightful. The look on my face was priceless." The sheriff laughed._

_Helena visibly relaxed and smiled. The sheriff held up both hands in front of his body, grasping the air, pretending to hold a baby. "I picked her up and brought her face close to mine. She laughed. She caressed my face and laughed. She touched my fangs. When they pricked her she laughed._

_I found myself making funny faces at her, which elicited the most wonderful, uncontrollable giggles from her. It was like music. I danced with her. I floated around the room with her. I sang to her. Nothing I did could take away her joy, not even my singing."_

_Helena and the Man From Dallas laughed together. He said, "I spent the rest of the night just … being with her, until I heard voices in the distance, then I flew away with her into the night. I took her to a village on the other end of the country, to a place where I had watched the families for some time, staking out my prey._

_I left the baby with a childless couple who lived on a remote farm. I glamoured them to ensure that they cared for the child and gave out only limited information about how she came to be theirs. Periodically I visited them, watching her grow up from a distance."_

_Helena asked, "Did you turn her?"_

_The vampire sheriff shook his head, "No. The selfish part of me wanted to do that. But turning her into a vampire would have killed her laughter, forever._

_I also wanted to know her, to do more than gaze upon her from afar. But the person I became would have been compelled to tell her the truth, and how could I explain to her that I was the monster who killed her parents?_

_She lived a happy life, had a family, and died of old age. She lived the kind of fulfilled life that eludes most vampires, including me. So no, I did not turn her, and I am grateful that I didn't. She gave me the most incredible gift of seeing beauty for the first time. She deserved every human happiness."_

_Helena asked, "What do you mean she gave you the gift of beauty?"_

_The vampire sheriff pondered for a moment, then explained, "Part of the reason for my depravity was that I felt alone, and powerless."_

_Helena asked, "But you believed yourself to be a god. How could you feel alone? How could you feel powerless?"_

_The sheriff slowly shook his head. "No, I told myself I was a god, but deep down I did not believe it. Telling myself that I was a god consoled me for a long time. It helped me to deal with what I was, what I had become. In truth I was desolate, and didn't know how to emerge from this desolation._

_If I, this monster, was a god, then life … all of existence, was truly devoid of hope and anything good. What a frightening thought. It was a thought that haunted me many days as a slept. I wanted to be proven wrong. I needed to be proven wrong. I committed ever more depraved atrocities, hoping, sometimes praying, that the real god, whoever that was, would intervene and say enough._

_But that never happened. I existed for almost two thousand years, ravaging countless humans, and god never intervened. Until I met that little baby girl. This baby girl, with her fearlessness and musical laughter, proved to me that there was something in the universe bigger than me, more powerful than me._

_At that moment, that little girl was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire existence; and I had existed for a very long time. She proved to me that I was not a god. Far from it. You see, even if I killed her, I was powerless to take away her joy. And after I killed her, what little power I had over her would end._

_Between the two of us, she was the god. She showed me that there is this entire life behind things, and this … benevolent force behind things that wanted to communicate with me. It filled me with such joy. Joy that I had never felt before."_

_The sheriff's eyes filled with tears. He smiled for a moment, but then his face turned sad. "But immediately after I felt that profound joy, I felt an even greater sadness, because I knew that no matter how benevolent this force was, it would never embrace me."_

_Helena shook her head, protesting, "Why would you say that?"_

_"Because of the person I was, and the atrocities I had committed, and the pleasure I took in committing them." The vampire sheriff spoke in the same calm voice, but blood-red tears flowed freely from his eyes._

_He continued, "I resigned myself that I was a vampire and I had always been told that god does not give an audience to our kind. But then there was the face, the smile, and the laughter of that baby girl. It haunted me and gave me so much hope at the same time._

_I went through the motions of my old life for many years, but got no joy from it. If anything, I compounded guilt upon more guilt. And then one day, I just accepted that the beauty I saw in that little girl had changed me forever. I accepted this, and then started trying to figure out what I would become._

_Just as I had unexpectedly found proof of a benevolent god, I wanted to find proof that this god would embrace me. Vampire literalists, that is those who literally interpret the vampire bible … Sanguinistas … believe in continual resurrection by the sacred blood. Vampires enjoy eternal life, even after the so-called True Death, through the blood."_

_Helena asked, "I didn't know. There is a vampire bible?"_

_The Man From Dallas walked over to a drawer, opened it and pulled out an ancient looking book. He gave it to Helena and said, "I trust the android part of you will figure out how to read the language this is written in. You may have this. But when you read it, do so in the same manner that you read other so-called sacred texts. Trust the messages from the beauty you've seen in this world. Trust the beauty in your heart. Let that beauty help you separate truth from falsity, wisdom from agendas."_

_Helena asked, "So you no longer believe in this resurrection by the sacred blood?"_

_The boyish vampire shook his head. "No, this idea is the product of tribal beliefs. These beliefs promote the notion of a god just for vampires, and eternally blessed beings that are, ultimately, nothing more than unrepentant, monstrous vampires. The beauty in that little human girl tells me this is false, just as false as the many other tribal beliefs that tell their adherents that god is just for them and not for others._

_I removed that vampire bible from my heart, and replaced it with the beauty of that little girl. Or more accurately, I replaced it with the beauty of the true God, who smiled upon me through that little girl."_

_Helena felt an indescribable warmth move through her entire body. She had no idea what she expected to happen when she finally got the chance to speak with this mysterious vampire who kept appearing in her life, but it certainly wasn't anything close to this. The maenad part of Helena, the part of herself that instinctively yearned for the god who comes, hung on the vampire's every word. She found herself going on this journey with him, personally invested in his search for God._

**_The Man From Dallas Explains How Quantum Physics Showed Him God_**

_Helena asked, "Did you find God?"_

_The vampire sheriff smiled, "Yes, I did. Or rather the true God found me in 1902. He came in the form of the United States military, as a man named Dr. Quinn McFadden."_

_Helena's eyes widened when she heard the vampire sheriff say the name of her human creator, an officer and scientist in the United States Army, with such reverence and adoration. She stuttered, "I… I … what do you mean?"_

_The boy vampire explained, "The United States military has always been far more advanced than the general public knows. As far back as the late 1890's, your government knew a great deal about vampires, and had already devised weapons to control and kill us. Most of these weapons were extremely effective against very young vampires, but were still no match for a much older vampire like me._

_Dr. McFadden's military unit tracked me and attempted to capture me. I could have resisted the weapons, but I didn't. I allowed the U.S. Army to take me."_

_Helena was confused. "Why did you do that?"_

_The vampire sheriff thought for a moment, then explained, "By that time I was utterly despondent, hopeless. I had tried so many things to find the true god, and failed. I … wanted something, anything to happen, even if it was the True Death. I was afraid, but I wanted to know what would happen when I forever closed my eyes to this world._

_Where would I go? Who would I see? Even if I faced judgment for my atrocities, I hoped to at least have the opportunity to see the source of that beauty that had smiled at me through that human baby girl back in 1689. I wanted to be free of a life that I now considered a living hell, but I wasn't yet able to free myself."_

_Helena asked, "So you were going to allow the Army to do the job of … freeing you? You were going to let the Army kill you?"_

_The sheriff nodded, "Yes, until I realized that their plan wasn't solely to kill me. First, they wanted my blood."_

_"To make hybrids, like M, Quinn and me?" Helena asked the question, but she was already starting to accept the answer. She was coming to believe that this vampire sheriff could actually be the source of the vampire blood running through her veins._

_The sheriff said, "Yes. When Dr. McFadden tried to insert the needle in my vein to take my blood, I pushed him away and removed myself from the harnesses that were never strong enough to hold me. For some reason, I didn't leave. I spoke with the doctor._

_He wasn't surprised. He said he suspected that I was staying with him because I wanted to be there. He asked me why I would do such a thing. I told him that I wanted to die, but I could not allow him to take my blood._

_He asked me why I felt so strongly about this, and I told him that I was a creature separated from the true God, and I would not allow my blood to create any more such creatures. I could not bear the thought of more of my children experiencing such torment._

_The doctor asked me why I was so convinced that I was separate from God. I told him that I had thought and thought about the origins of God, and I had come two conclusions. The first is that I could not understand how anything came to exist, and so I did not believe that there was a sentient god who created it. Second, I concluded that even if there was a sentient god, that god did not create me. Nor would that god accept me in its universe, and so I was still left hopeless._

_Helena said, "I don't understand."_

_The sheriff replied, "Let's go through an exercise. Who created you, Helena?"_

_Helena answered, "The United States Army. Dr. Quinn McFadden. My son is named after him."_

_"And what is Dr. McFadden?" The vampire sheriff asked._

_Helena easily answered, "He is human."_

_"And who created him?" the vampire asked._

_Helena frowned, but said, "His … parents, and his parents' parents, and so on … going all the way back to …"_

_The boyish vampire interjected, a bit excitedly, "Yes, going back all the way to the first human. And who created that very first human?"_

_Helena paused for a moment, then said, "God, maybe. Or another theory is that humans evolved over millions of years from the matter in the universe."_

_The vampire sheriff leaned forward, interested in Helena's next answer. "And who created god? Or if you believe that humans evolved from matter in the universe, how did this matter first come into existence? In other words, we know there is something. We see it all around us. We can touch it. We ourselves are that something, as well. But doesn't the fact that there is now something imply that at one point, there must have been nothing?_

_Whether you refer to this first something that ever existed as a conscious god or as unconscious matter in the universe, the question is the same. When did this something first come into existence? And how could this something that we see all around us, including when we look in the mirror, be created out of nothing?"_

_Helena was silent. She had worked through this problem many times and arrived at this same point, unable to reach a definitive conclusion._

_The sheriff smiled and continued with his story. "I presented this same question to Dr. McFadden, fully intending it to be a goodbye. While I no longer told myself I was a god, I still believed I was vastly superior to humans. My arrogance knew no depths, I'm afraid. I had lived longer than any human, and so I believed that any hope I had of finding an answer to my questions about god and the universe would come from myself. I never conceived of the possibility that a human would be able to give me the answer. I was wrong."_

_Helena felt her heart beat even faster, if that was even possible, since it had been racing virtually nonstop since the vampire sheriff opened his front door and welcomed her into his home. She whispered, "What did he tell you?"_

_The sheriff smiled. "The doctor's face lit up. As I remember it now he looked to me as bright as the sun. He told me that the science he was working on proved without a doubt that there was a conscious god, and that everything that exists, including vampires like me, are a part of that god's universe."_

_Helena was visibly intrigued. "How could Dr. McFadden know that?"_

_The vampire sheriff answered, "The doctor said he knew this because of his study of quantum physics._

_There were several other military scientists besides Dr. McFadden trying to create supernatural hybrids, but none of them had the success of your Dr. Quinn. I believe it was because all those other scientists barely understood how they were going to create these new beings. The had a formula and a set of tools that were no good for the project._

_Only Dr. Quinn truly understood what he was creating, and why it worked. Only Dr. Quinn understood that the process he started wasn't magic. Those other scientists thought they were operating in this world, this physical reality". The vampire opened his arms, gesturing all around him._

_Only Dr. Quinn understood that the world he was operating in was a hidden quantum world. That hidden world cannot be seen with our five senses, but it nevertheless influences this world we see in profound ways. Dr. Quinn convinced me that his views were correct. I believed him. On the strength of my personal faith in him, I allowed him to use my blood to create two hybrids - M first, and then you. You conceived and gave birth to Quinn, but your son also received a direct injection of my blood while still in your womb. I suppose that makes him both my son and my grandson."_

_Helena tried to wrap her mind around all of this. "I'm sorry. This is so much. The military deliberately kept us in the dark about our origins, about so much we wanted to know. I begged Dr. Quinn to tell me, but he insisted to me that he withheld the information for our own protection. And I suppose to protect the secrets of the United States government."_

_The Man From Dallas said, "I know many of those secrets, Helena. I have longed to tell you, and the time is finally here."_

_Helena's face lit up. She nodded expectantly, indicating that she wanted to know whatever the Man From Dallas could tell her about herself and her family. The boy vampire asked, "Do you know why M was named M?"_

_Helena answered with confidence. This was one of the few bits of information she did know. "Yes. M was just a code name. They didn't think of hybrids as anything more than government products. We proved them wrong, and eventually we were given names. M was given his name by General Douglas MacArthur, who loved M for his bravery and dedication to his country during World War II."_

_The Man From Dallas shook his head. "No, that is wrong. M's name is a very deliberate message about the science that created him. Dr. McFadden named M after a quantum physics theory called M theory, otherwise known as string theory. The M stands for mystery, or magic, or the matrix._

_The theory posits that there are many other worlds that co-exist alongside the reality we experience in this physical world, and all of these worlds are part of the same giant universe, and all of these worlds are interconnected. These worlds are tethered to each other, like objects on a string. Dr. McFadden and other physicists discovered the existence of these other worlds through quantum physics._

_Quantum physics was born in the year 1900, when Dr. Max Planck discovered that energy, which appears to be emitted as wavelengths, is actually discharged in small packets, or quanta. Quantum physics is responsible for so much that is a part of your everyday life and work, Helena. Super fast computers, super accurate timekeeping and measurement devices, teleportation, force fields, lasers. All of these inventions are based on quantum physics._

_Quantum physics designed you, M and Quinn. It is no accident that M was born in 1902, two years after the birth of quantum physics. His creation was the culmination of almost two years of discoveries in quantum physics."_

_Helena shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I need a moment. I've never heard this before. I am trying to understand you, but …"_

_The boy vampire interjected, "You know quantum physics?"_

_Helena replied, "Yes, but…"_

_The vampire sheriff cut her off, "A conversation will explain. What is the quantum world?"_

_Helena paused, then answered, deciding to follow the Man From Dallas' lead. "It is the subatomic world. It's all of the tiniest particles that make up everything we can see around us with our naked eyes. That chair, the clouds, you and me – our bodies – all of these visible objects are made up of the tiniest subatomic particles. These subatomic particles are so tiny that they are invisible, even to vampires."_

_The boy vampire nodded, "Yes. And why did scientists know that this invisible subatomic world existed, decades before they even had instruments to detect or measure it?"_

_Helena answered easily, "Because up until that point the only knowledge we had came from the physical sciences. Newtonian rules. These sciences told us that the only reality is the world we can detect with our five senses. The only things that are truly real are those things that we can observe through seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting."_

_The vampire sheriff agreed, then said, "But in fact we know that the view of the physical sciences is wrong. Because we know for a fact that there are things that exist that cannot be seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted. Correct?"_

_Helena agreed, "Yes, like our mind, our thoughts, our memories, our … consciousness. And scientists saw all kinds of phenomena in his world that simply couldn't be explained by Newtonian rules or the physical sciences. That's … that's how Max Planck and other scientists discovered the quantum world in the first place._

_Certain types of radiation … and sunlight … the sun emits these patterns of light, and classical science had no explanation for why the sun's light does what it does. So scientists started looking at the atoms comprising light, and then tried to see even smaller particles, until they discovered a tiny, tiny world that operates by its own different rules."_

_"Yes," the Man From Dallas agreed, "vampires know better than any other creatures that there is something inexplicably different and powerful about the sun and its light."_

_Helena asked, confused, "Okay, but I don't understand how Dr. Quinn answered your questions about yourself and god and the universe with this information."_

_The vampire sheriff smiled and said, "Quantum physics is hard. It was hard for me to follow. Dr. McFadden made it simple for me. He told me that all I needed to know were five truths from quantum physics, and they are easy to understand because these truths explain my vampire existence."_

_Helena shook her head, and asked, "Quantum physics explains the existence of vampires?"_

_The boy vampire laughed, "According to your Dr. Quinn, yes. Do you see why I have such respect for your human creator?. He was a very brilliant man. I doubted what he said at first, but as he explained more and more it made sense to me. Let's try with you. I hope I am as good a teacher for you as Dr. McFadden was for me."_

_"Okay," Helena said. Then, skeptically, she asked, "And every one of these five truths tells us something about vampires?"_

_The vampire sheriff, smiled, "I understand your doubt, Helena. I had that same doubt myself. But let's see, shall we?"_

_Helena nodded for the Man From Dallas to proceed with his quantum physics lesson._

_The vampire sheriff said, "First truth – the world we see all around us with our naked eyes is not the only world there is. It is not the only existence. It's not even the most important existence. Scientists once believed that the atom was the smallest divisible unit comprising matter. Then they discovered that atoms contained vast amounts of space within them, and many kinds of particles that are much smaller than protons, neutrons and electrons. These particles exist in an invisible world. There are many invisible worlds that we cannot detect with our five senses. They are invisible, but just as real. And sometimes, the effects of these invisible worlds can be seen and felt in this world._

_"How?" Helena asked._

_The vampire sheriff thought for a moment, then said, "Your sunlight example, for one. And think about paranormal phenomena – what humans refer to as ghosts, communications with the dead, sixth senses, intuitions and prophecies, near death experiences. Supernatural beings, like vampires."_

_"Are you saying that vampires come from another world?" Helena asked._

_"In a sense, yes. But perhaps it is more accurate to say that the influences that cause vampires, and other supernatural creatures, to be … supernatural, reside in a world beyond this physical world around us. What does the word supernatural mean, really? It means that this world is natural, expected, normal. And supernatural entities like vampires, werewolves and other Weres, fairies, etc., are not expected, abnormal, behave in unexpected ways according to the natural laws of this world._

_This brings me to the second truth of quantum physics. It seems obvious but it was a great surprise when discovered. That truth is that the rules governing these other invisible worlds are not the same rules that govern this physical world that we see all around us. When scientists were finally able to see what was going on in the subatomic world, they were frightened, astounded, disbelieving. Up was down. Down was up. When every rule we know from this world predicted that a particle would go left, it instead went right._

_Even more amazing, scientists found things too hard to wrap one's mind around, like objects existing in two places at the same time, objects spinning clockwise and counterclockwise at the same time. In the physical world, there is one reality and only one reality. In the quantum world, it is not unusual for objects to be in two totally opposite states at the same time._

_For me, this discovery solved the question of how something could spring forth from nothing. This solved the question of who made god."_

_"How?!" Helena asked, her inner maenad buzzing with excitement._

_"I had naively assumed that everything was subject to the rules of this physical world. But everything isn't. In a world where two opposite experiences can exist at the same time, the answer is easy. In the beginning, the very beginning, there was god and there was nothing, or there was the universe and nothing. Both opposing possibilities coexisted together at exactly the same time, both equally likely to remain. Then one day, the universe experience, the god experience, sprang forth. It made a quantum leap, a big bang, and went from possibility to actuality. In essence, god made itself._

_You know, I have a vampire … colleague. I suppose I would call her a colleague and not a friend. Her name is Sophie Anne. She is the vampire Queen of Louisiana. We occasionally visit each other to discuss vampire business. One day she grew tired of what she referred to as my schoolboy sophistries about the nature of our existence. I was sitting with her playing Yahtzee, as usual."_

_Helena couldn't help but laugh. This vampire carried himself in such a dignified manner. Helena had trouble imagining him sitting around playing board games._

_The vampire sheriff smiled. "Sophie Anne said to me, as she was beating me yet again, that everyone wrongly believed that she wasted immense amounts of time playing board games. The truth, she said, was that the board game was a kind of meditation for her; and in that meditative state she had pondered and solved the questions that still haunted me. She claimed she had solved all the mysteries of the universe. I must admit I scoffed at her."_

_Helena asked, "I'm curious, what did Queen Sophie Anne conclude?"_

_The Man From Dallas laughed lightly as he said, "The Queen of Louisiana said that everything that exists imagined itself into existence. As it turns out, she is correct."_

_Helena observed, "This Sophie Anne sounds very wise."_

_The Man From Dallas shook his head, "No. Sadly, she actually illustrates that there is a huge difference between knowing the truth and understanding it. She figured out the mysteries of the universe over Yahtzee, but yet she continues to live the life of a hedonistic vampire. Having knowledge didn't change her. Seeing beauty is the only thing that can change her. I can only surmise that she has yet to see it."_

_Helena tried to wrap her mind around this philosophical conundrum. "How are vampires evidence of such coexisting dualities?" she asked._

_The vampire sheriff smiled wide, "Our very existence is a duality. Are we not both alive and dead at the same time? In some ways, we act alive, and in other ways we act dead._

_And vampires do not behave how they are expected to behave according to the rules of this physical world. According to the rules of this world, a being without a heartbeat whose blood runs cold is dead and motionless, decaying. It should not be walking around, yet here I am._

_I can move faster than should be possible in this world. My vision is better than it should be. I am stronger than I should be. I can levitate and fly, abilities that defy this world's rules of gravity. And of course, I do not age. Age and decay is a provable fact in this world for every sentient being, yet vampires defy this reality. My very existence disputes the rules of this world. According to Dr. McFadden, it is impossible to explain the existence of vampires using the rules of this physical world."_

_"But vampires must have their own explanation for their existence, don't they? Is the answer in the vampire bible?" Helena asked._

_"Actually, no," said the Man From Dallas. "The vampire bible states that all vampires come from Lilith, the first vampire. Lilith was created by God to rule the earth, and humans were created later to be food for vampires. But the bible doesn't go back further than that."_

_Helena concluded, "So one is still left with the same unanswered question of who made God, or how did God come to exist?"_

_The vampire sheriff nodded, "Yes, exactly. Nor does the vampire bible tell us how we are made. We know that the process of being turned into a vampire works, but we don't know how it works._

_If you ask most vampires how a vampire gets made, they will give you the same kind of answer. The vampire drains the human's blood until the human's heart stops beating. The vampire then pours some of its blood into the human's mouth. The vampire and the human are buried together, facing each other, with the vampire embracing the human. They sleep together like this during the day. Then the following night, the human will no longer be human, but will emerge from that grave as a vampire._

_If you ask a vampire for any more information than that, he or she will likely say that they don't know. It's just magic."_

_"And Dr. McFadden says?" Helena asked._

_"Dr. McFadden says we use the term magic too lazily, as an explanation of anything we cannot explain in terms of the laws of this physical world. If a magician floats, defying the laws of gravity, we call it magic. If a human suddenly gets the urge to call her friend because she senses that her friend is sad; and it turns out when they speak that her friend really is sad, we call that magic._

_Most magic is simply a manipulation of or an attunement to another reality, usually one that doesn't follow the rules of this world. If seen in this light, mediums who channel the dead or witches who cast spells aren't doing something magical. They are in fact doing something quite ordinary, but ordinary according to the rules of the different world in which they're acting, which is not this physical world."_

_Helena raised her eyebrows. Finding nothing wrong with this second truth, she waited for the vampire sheriff to continue._

_The boyish vampire said, "The third truth of quantum physics – Unlike in the physical world, observation is not passive. It is active. Observation isn't detached. The act of observing changes both the observer and the thing being observed._

_Science in this world is conducted by having the scientist simply observe the object of his experiment and record data. The assumption is that the scientist is a separate entity from the thing he is studying, and can examine the thing without changing it. In the quantum world, the world of so-called magic, this isn't true._

_Scientists struggled for a long time to measure the very tiny particles in the subatomic world because these particles are so tiny that just looking at them makes them move in a different direction, which changes the measurement entirely. Suppose you saw a feather in front of you, and you wanted to time how fast it was moving. You quickly raise your hand to look at your watch as the feather is flying past you. What might happen?"_

_Helena thought for a moment, then said, "The motion of your hand might stir the air, which might cause the feather to move in another direction. If this happened, it would change how long the feather took to reach the ground."_

_"Yes. Can you see how you, the observer has an impact on the object, the feather? Do you see how the act of observing changed the object, sending it in a direction it might not have traveled if not for the watcher?" the vampire sheriff asked._

_Helena replied, "I can, but I don't understand how that explains being a vampire."_

_The shamanistic vampire said, "When Dr. McFadden used my blood to make you and M, he duplicated and studied the vampiric transformation process. He created a makeshift grave in his laboratory and placed instruments underneath the soil. He already knew that attempts to just use vampire blood to create a vampire failed, and that following the ritual of burying the maker and progeny worked._

_Dr. McFadden concluded that what happens when a vampire and its progeny are buried together is a process of observation that changes the object being observed. When I was buried with you, I held you in my arms, facing me. I smelled your hair. I kissed your face. I periodically woke up during the day to sense you, to make sure you were okay. This act of observing you changed both of us on a subatomic level. It started a communication between my blood in my body and my blood in your body. This communication transformed you into a vampire. It also changed me by connecting me with you through an invisible bond._

_This is an example of a quantum truth that we actually can see in this world, because the same thing happens with humans and their children. Think of one human, who grows up with a loving parent who watches over her, observes her. Think of another human who is exactly the same in every way, except that human grows up alone, with no one to watch over her or observe her. Isn't it likely that those two humans will behave very differently, follow different paths in life? And this is so just because one was watched over and the other one wasn't? Isn't that why you are so observant of your son, because you believe that he is going to be different … better, just because you paid attention to him?"_

_"Yes, yes. I agree with that," Helena said._

_The vampire sheriff took a sip of blood wine. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Why do humans … why do any of us desire a soul mate, a marriage?"_

_Helena puzzled over the question, then guessed, "Love? Passion? Companionship?"_

_"I don't think so," said the vampire sheriff. "Each of those may be part of it, but they are fleeting. It's not what many of us need for a lifetime from one person. We want a lifelong soul mate because we want someone to observe us, to witness our lives. There are so many beings and things to see in a single world. How special is it to have someone who says to you, 'I will see you. I will observe you. That includes all the important things, the scary things, the happy things. But also the little mundane things that add up to inside jokes and unspoken understandings and communication that transcends words."_

_Helena thought of her life with M, Afrida, and Quinn. She understood how wonderful and special it is to be witnessed by people who care about you._

_The vampire sheriff smiled and moved on, "The fourth rule of quantum physics – Everything, absolutely everything, is interconnected. And, once two things are connected, they can never be severed. They can be separated, but never severed._

_If this is true, it is unnecessary to debate whether the beginning is god or the universe. Both are one and the same, and both have a conscious mind. Mystics call this L'un Esprit, Der Ein Verstand, Una Mente, The One Mind._

_In the quantum world, scientists have discovered particles that are bonded to each other, sometimes over impossibly vast distances. They are "stringed" together, so to speak. This string theory, or M theory, is the source of M's name. Dr. McFadden used the knowledge of this theory to interconnect your android, fairy, Were, maenad and vampire components._

_Vampires evidence this truth. A baby vampire is connected to its vampire maker by an invisible, but very real and powerful bond. This bond allows the two vampires to feel each other's emotions and to track down one another over great distances. The bond allows the maker to command the progeny. The bond also allows the vampire maker to summon its progeny, and an undeniable urge running up and down that invisible bond compels the progeny to come to its maker when called._

_Humans can also understand this. Human mothers will attest to a strong but invisible tie to their children. This bond remains for life, even if the child moves far away from home. The mother and child may appear to be separated, but the bond is never severed._

_Helena interjected, "But a maker can release her progeny."_

_The vampire sheriff responded, "Yes, and this release does sever the bond. Or more accurately, this release appears to sever the bond. However, the bond can never be completely severed."_

_"But that conflicts with everything we know," Helena objected._

_"Your Dr. McFadden, like all sentient beings, had his flaws. He lied to me, telling me only after Quinn was born that he intended to sever the bond between me and the three of you. Everything was a test for him. He wanted to test the quantum theory of eternal interconnectedness. His experiment with me proved that such bonds are never broken."_

_Helena said, "I don't understand. Did you release us?"_

_The Man From Dallas turned sad, "Yes, I refused until he threatened you, which made me relent. You all were put into a sleep state so that he could test the internal changes caused by my releasing you. I felt the severance of the bonds when I said the words. He then relocated all three of you, to prevent me from finding you._

_I was … devastated. I had never released any of my children. I could not bear it. I meditated, focused my mind, prayed for you, mourned for you, tried to find you. I did this for years … until one day, I heard a whisper inside myself. I quieted myself and listened. To my surprise, the more I tried to feel you, the louder your hum became. The bond, at least on my end, reestablished itself."_

_Helena pondered aloud, "Maybe a little on my end. There were many times when I thought I felt you near me. Not just the times when we saw each other."_

_The vampire sheriff smiled, "You are correct. There are very few coincidences in life, Helena. When you happen to find yourself at the same street corner as a long lost friend, think of all the tiny miracles that had to happen to both of you, to make it possible for you to be at that corner at exactly the same time, with no advance planning._

_I think you both arrive at that corner because on some invisible level, your energies were drawn to each other. You and your long lost friend made a connection long ago. It remained even after you separated. It was never severed."_

_Helena thought for a moment, then asked, "What causes attraction?"_

_"The rules are … there are no rules. Opposites attract. Is this a true statement?"_

_"Yes," Helena immediately said._

_"Birds of a feather flock together. Sameness attracts to sameness. Is this a true statement?"_

_Again, Helena readily said, "Yes."_

_The boyish vampire concluded, "So what is the rule about interconnectedness? Is it difference attracts difference or sameness attracts sameness?"_

_Helena nodded, remembering the quantum truth about coexisting opposite dualities in the quantum world. Helena also thought about her attraction to M – difference attracted to difference. Then she thought about her equally strong attraction to Afrida – sameness attracted to sameness. She answered confidently, "Both are equally true."_

_Helena's vampire host smiled, then proceeded, "This brings us to the fifth and final truth of quantum physics – Particle movement in the quantum world was thought to be random, but scientists learned that randomness is not completely random. This is because once a particle takes a certain path, that path closes off certain other avenues. Once certain types of energies are drawn to each other, they tend to steer away from other types of energies. There is free will, but free will doesn't remain entirely free."_

_"How does this relate to vampires?" Helena asked._

_The Man From Dallas replied, "Most vampires are nihilistic, believing there is no such thing as right and wrong, only death and survival. Many believe that vampires exist at the top of the predatory chain, separate and apart from humans and other supernaturals. This entitles them to commit atrocities by divine right. It is my greatest regret that not only did I live these beliefs, but I taught them to my children._

_When it is said that the sins of a father are visited upon his generations, it is not god who punishes the children, but rather the father. God simply observes. I have punished my children. I have changed, but they refuse to give up what I taught them._

_Vampires like to call the paths they take, the atrocities they commit, random actions. But randomness is not random. These are choices to embrace depravity. For all vampires, our failure to evolve will have widespread consequences for our kind. The time is coming soon."_

_Helena asked, confused, "Are you saying we cannot change. I don't agree with that."_

_The vampire sheriff shook his head, "No, we can change, Helena. I am a testament to that. But changing is very hard, and the reason it is hard is because change is not an immediate escape from what we were before."_

_The wise old vampire in a boy's body saw his child's confusion. He explained, "I have committed almost two thousand years of atrocities. All that blood. All those enemies. Do you think all of that evil I put into the world suddenly goes away because one day I noticed the beauty of a little human girl?_

_It doesn't. Those enemies still lurk in the shadows, motivated by lust for revenge. That blood remains on my hands. I can never undo that. I can only atone for it."_

**_The Man From Dallas Tells Helena About His Fairy Prince Best Friend_**

_The Man From Dallas cried openly as he caressed Helena's face. This time she allowed her own tears to fall, but she wasn't completely sure why she was crying. The Man said, "I know this is a great deal for you to try and understand all at once, my beautiful child. But I only need you to remember the five quantum truths, nothing more._

_First, don't just believe what you see. Understand that there are important things you can't see. These unseen worlds can impact your life the most. Second, don't assume anything will operate as you expect. Watch and be open to whatever rule is shown to you. And in your own life, don't just do what you've always done before. Sometimes, when every part of you and everything that you've ever known tells you to go left, go right. Go right._

_Third, observation is not passive. You can change things just by seeing them, and what you see can also change you. Fourth, everything is connected, and things connected are never severed, even if they seem to be. They may be separated, but they are never severed. _

_Last, there are actually very few coincidences in life. The paths you take may seem random at first, but these random paths are choices. Choices have consequences. They create a past that you can never escape. But we can take new paths, make new choices that create a future. This future can never escape the past, but it can atone for it."_

_Helena sat quietly for several minutes. She regarded the Man From Dallas, wondering after this conversation how observing him was changing her. She knew one way she had changed. She now firmly believed this man sitting before her was her vampire father. She asked, "So you were so … grateful to Dr. McFadden for telling you about quantum physics and helping you understand god that you paid him with your blood?"_

_The man shook his head. "No. I gave him my blood because I believed in him and his work. For spiritual reasons, I wanted his research on hybrids to be a success, and I wanted him to use my blood to make his creations."_

_Helena raised her eyebrows and asked, "What spiritual reasons?"_

_The Man From Dallas mused, "In order to understand, you need to understand that the spiritual path that led me to Dr. McFadden started more than two centuries before 1902."_

_"Yes, with the human baby girl," Helena agreed._

_Yes, but that seemingly random encounter set me on a new path. It was through this encounter that I made, as they say, a quantum leap out of depravity. My thinking changed. My view of the world changed. My behavior changed. My morals changed. I changed. All of this came to me from seeing, truly seeing, this one little girl._

_Now that I am changed, all those other possible directions my life might have taken, they are no longer possible. Einstein hated the spiritual conclusions suggested by quantum physics. He famously said that God does not roll dice. In my experience, God does roll the dice, but only sometimes. That is free will. But free will is not truly free, because many choices, perhaps most choices, eliminate other possibilities. For example, once I chose to see the beauty in that little girl, I cut off the possibility of torturing more humans._

_I have lived a solitary existence for most of my life, partly as a punishment for the blood I spilled, including the blood of my own maker."_

_Helena looked shocked, and sad for her newfound father. "Why did you kill your maker?"_

_The vampire sheriff answered, "Because he was a horrible monster. He was a vampire and an officer in the Roman army. He saw me in a village he raided. He kidnapped me from my human family and made me his slave. He had a particular sexual fascination with young boys. He used me to explore every demented fantasy his mind could imagine._

_As he saw I was becoming a man, he decided he did not want to allow the object of his most beloved tortures to escape into adulthood. He turned me into a vampire, and continued to enslave and torture me. He took joy out of telling me that this was my eternal fate. My suffering taught me patience. I allowed him to teach me everything I could learn from him. I taught myself how to mask my feelings, and one day I awoke and drove a sword through his heart as he slept. I took joy in the fact that in his last moment he opened his eyes and saw me standing over him." The Man From Dallas looked slightly guilty as he allowed the tiniest smile to grace his lips._

_Helena disliked that story. She needed a different one, so to her own surprise, she asked, "Have you ever been in love?"_

_The man replied, "I love my children."_

_Helena shook her head. "No, not that kind of love. Have you ever been in love? Have you ever had a soul mate, someone to witness your life?"_

_The man smiled slyly and asked, "You mean like you, and M and Afrida?"_

_Helena's eyes widened. Did the Man From Dallas know about her entire life? It seemed he might. She pondered this, and the growing awe she was starting to feel from the sheer reality of him suddenly being in her life, but simply said, "Yes."_

_The Man From Dallas looked deep in thought. Finally, he smiled and said, "I spoke with the same little girl who showed me beauty once, only once, in the summer of … It was August 1702. She was then twelve or thirteen years old. I came just to gaze at her, and there she was. It was just after nightfall. She was running through a field behind her parents' farm. Her mother was calling her to come for dinner. She started back toward the house, and ran into me._

_The little baby girl had grown into such a beautiful young child. I worried that I might scare her, but … she smiled at me and touched my chest. She was truly a special being."_

_The Man From Dallas placed his palm on his chest where the young girl had touched him. He said, "The girl stared into my eyes. I could hear her mother calling. I told her she should go, but she just kept staring at me. Finally, she said 'I know you.' I could not, would not believe that. But she insisted, 'I remember you. You danced with me.' Her mother called her again. She told me she had to go, and she ran off to her house. Before she was out of sight, she turned around and waved to me. She smiled, and it warmed me like the sun."_

_Helena whispered, "The fourth quantum truth, once two things are connected, that connection is never severed, even if it appears to be separated."_

_The man smiled and nodded. "Yes. Remember that I told you how connections are made? Like attracts both like and difference?"_

_Helena nodded._

_The vampire sheriff said, "Well, that little girl set me on a path that led me to meet… someone very special. He was the total opposite of me, yet so much like me at the same time. On my way from leaving the little girl's farm, the most intoxicating scent came to me. It drew me. I was almost powerless to resist that smell. I followed that scent to an open field, where I saw four vampires cornering a tall, older man with white hair. The vampires were feral, preparing to eat the man, except they had to defend their backs from several other vampires who were circling. These other vampires also wanted to eat the man._

_I could see the terror in the man's eyes, and as soon as I came a bit closer, I immediately knew what he was. A fairy. But not just a fairy. He was a full-fledged, very ancient fairy. He was thousands and thousands, perhaps millions, of years old. I later learned that he was in fact a fairy prince. His blood, so well aged, smelled like heaven and the sun mixed together._

_The old fairy was holding his ground and keeping the vampires at bay with blasts of light. It looked like they had been locked in this standoff for some time. The fairy was extremely strong, but more and more vampires were coming to this field, surrounding him. I knew that at some point there would be too many vampires for the fairy to keep all of them at bay. Each time he blasted one, two more came closer to him._

_I saw the fairy weaken. He blasted a vampire, but he missed. He was exhausted, and I knew he didn't have much time left. I sped through the field, killing every vampire. None were any match for me. The fairy could see that I was a much older, stronger vampire. He did not celebrate the murder of his tormentors, because he assumed I had killed them so that I could eat him all by myself._

_He tried to blast me. He caught me a few times, but I was strong and evaded his light. I relentlessly approached until I grabbed his arms and held them at his sides. I looked into his eyes, and I could see his resolve to fight slip away. He prepared to meet his death, as I leaned into him. I just wanted to savor his intoxicating fairy scent. To both his utter surprise and mine, I place my lips on him. But I did not bite him. I …kissed him. The fairy closed his eyes and kissed me back. Then he opened his eyes, and the look on his face was priceless. He had exactly the same look that I had when that baby girl played with my fangs."_

_Helena laughed, and so did the Man From Dallas._

_The man continued, "I asked the fairy why on earth he would come to this world at night, knowing that vampires would smell him from miles away. Had he tired of living? Was that it? Already I could hear more vampires moving toward that field, attracted by the man's scent._

_The fairy told me that he had no choice but to come at night because he was going to see a witch, and he could only visit her after sundown. I asked what kind of witch only works at night. He replied that this witch was also a vampire. I marveled at this, and quite frankly I did not believe it. Witches hate vampires and vice versa. How could a vampire ever become a witch? She would need a teacher. What witch would ever teach a dead vampire her secrets for channeling the life essence of Mother Nature?_

_Before the fairy could answer, I saw the eyes of many vampires in the woods. They were closing in on us, but they were no match for me. All the same, I preferred to avoid a fight. I took the fairy in my arms and flew away. He asked me to take him to see the witch. I did so happily, as I wanted very much to meet this woman. If the fairy was right, she was something unheard of, and at my age it was difficult to surprise me._

_When we arrived at the witch's house, the doors opened as we approached and immediately closed after we entered. The vampires I heard behind us were suddenly silent. They seemed to disperse. I asked the fairy where did they go? He told me that the witch had cast a spell over the house that shielded his scent. Once inside the house, the fairy was hidden to the outside world._

_Once we were safely inside, I asked the fairy once again how could a vampire get a witch to teach her magic? Before he could answer I heard a beautiful voice behind me say, 'The vampire first gets the witch to fall madly in love with her.' I turned toward the sound of that voice, and walking toward me was an extremely striking vampire. She had light brown hair with tiny streaks of auburn, and the most unusual light gray eyes._

_She walked over to me and introduced herself as Sonja Braga. She examined me closely, and then me and the fairy together. It was only when she glanced downward that I realized the fairy and I were holding hands. Sonja Braga smiled, a smirk really, like the Mona Lisa, like she knew a cute secret._

_She came over close to us, inches away from my face. She said, 'Vampire, you are surprised that I am both a vampire and a witch. Yet you are a most surprising find, and after more than 6,000 years I am not easily surprised. An old vampire holding hands with a full-fledged fairy prince, and the fairy prince lives to tell the tale.'_

_Helena gasped, "This vampire witch was more than 6,000 years old?"_

_"Yes," the vampire sheriff said. "Compared to her, and the fairy, who was much older than her, I am but a small child."_

_Helena tried to imagine living for such a long time. The Man From Dallas smiled at her. He loved the wonder in her eyes as she absorbed his story. He continued, "Sonja's eyes danced over my body. She asked, 'You are not under the influence of magic?' I told her I was not. _

_Sonja asked, 'Then how did you resist killing him?" I had no answer, really. I simply told her that the world was much nicer with him in it. For some reason, this made her laugh._

_The fairy turned to me. He looked as if he was deciding what to do with me. He looked down at our hands, then held up our embrace and said, 'In this I see God.'_

_I asked the fairy his name. He told me Naill, and that he was a fairy prince. He asked me my name and I told him. Sonja Braga laughed again and said, 'This looks like something magical.'_

_I asked what she meant, and she said, 'The hands connect the hearts. You don't even know each other's names, but it seems your hearts have already introduced themselves.' Sonja asked Naill whether he wanted to speak freely in front of me. He looked down at our intertwined hands and said, 'It appears that is a given.'_

_Sonja Braga nodded and gestured for the two of us to sit on a nearby sofa. She sat in a chair across from us. Naill squeezed my hand and pulled me to sit down next to him. He said to me, 'I am ancient, of the Old People, among the first angels. Our people know the history of time going back to the very beginning. We have vast libraries with records of every world's history. We can even see the future.'_

_I marveled at this fairy's power, and asked if he was a god. He said, 'Do not be in awe of me. I am not a god. Far from it. My power only points out the vast extent of my powerlessness. I see the future, but I am powerless to change it. But maybe my mistake has been trying to change it all by myself. Maybe what I need are … friends.'_

_I asked why he wanted to change the future. He said, 'A war is coming. It's opponents are amassing now, as we speak. You cannot see them yet, but trust me they exist, and soon will be known to this world. I've seen and fought in countless wars, some with a large loss of life, and others with catastrophic losses of life. The war that is coming will be catastrophic, if we don't find a way to stop it.'_

_I asked them what this war is about. Naill said, 'The same thing that wars are almost always about – the assertion of superiority and dominance by warring groups, fueled by the false legitimacy of religion.'_

_I asked who would be fighting this war. The fairy said, 'This war will be the latest of many involving vampires, fairies and humans. Other beings will inevitably be pulled in. But it is fundamentally a war among those three groups.'_

_I asked why I had never heard of a single such war, let alone a history of such wars, as Naill described. The fairy said, 'You are what? A little over two thousand years old. You are too young. The wars happen roughly every 2500 to 3500 years. In most worlds, including this one, these kinds of wars coincide with the transition from one Astrological Age to another. The last Fairy War happened several hundred years before the birth of Christ, before you were born. That war took place mostly in other worlds, although its effects spilled over into this world.'_

_'And this upcoming war?' I asked. Naill said, 'I am afraid that this upcoming war will be fought squarely within this world. When the planets in this solar system align, heralding the advent of the Astrological Age of Aquarius, doorways will open. One such doorway will allow the entry into this world of the most powerful vampire, the very first vampire - Lilith.'_

_I could not believe what I was hearing, Helena. You have to understand that I spent centuries worshiping Lilith, and I've just been told that she is going to return. It was prophesied in the vampire bible that Lilith would one day return to Planet Earth to reassert the supremacy of vampires over every inhabitant, including humans and fairies. At first I was elated; but then I looked down at my hand, which was still holding Naill's hand, and a deep sadness filled me._

_Sonja Braga saw my face. She smiled and said, 'Don't worry, little vampire Juliet. We are working on a plan that will allow you to keep your Romeo fairy prince.'_

_I asked what she meant. Naill said to me, "This war started during the beginning of time for vampires and fairies. Fairies existed long before either vampires or humans. We once existed alone. We were the sole sentient beings apart from the universe itself for millions and millions of years. I was one of those first beings. Then Lilith, and the first Adam, suddenly became self aware. She was given the opportunity to taste the fruit of the tree of life, to be an immortal, just like us. She was promised Planet Earth, to rule over and populate. This world was supposed to be her paradise._

_Many of our kind resented the very existence of this new being. Oh, fairies gave all sorts of grand, important sounding reasons to justify their hatred. Lilith will infect the sacred bloodline. She will poison the soil of the sacred earth. But it was jealousy, plain and simple. We had our own world. This one was just our playground, really. But children can be so selfish about their toys. Our kind undermined Lilith at every turn. We sought to eradicate her birthright, and ultimately did so by advocating for the creation of humans, a weaker, less threatening kind of being, to populate the earth._

_Amazingly, despite all that she had lost, Lilith came to a place of peace in a tiny space on this world by finding … love, with a human of all things. Lilith was happy. We could have all coexisted, but my kind still were not satisfied. Even Lilith's happiness was too much for us to tolerate. So my kind, with my help I am ashamed to say, destroyed that happiness. We destroyed that love, and we are still, deservedly, paying the price for that evil which we did.'_

_I could see the sadness and shame in this fairy's eyes. It was like gazing into a mirror. I squeezed his hand. He was surprised, and asked, 'I thought this tale would make you push me away in disgust, what I've done to your kind. And yet you cling to me that much more?"_

_I said, 'Yes, I embrace you, as I hope to be embraced by humans, against whom I have committed great atrocities.'_

_Naill smiled at me and said, 'Then it seems that my prayers have been answered. The missing, last piece of this mystery has finally come to us. You have come to us. In this I see God.'_

_Helena, I cannot explain to you the feelings that coursed through me. In my long existence I had heard many prayers. But they were all prayers for protection from me. No one had ever before regarded me as the answer to their prayers. I had no words."_

_The Man From Dallas sat quietly in thought. Helena allowed him his musings for a while, then asked, "What did Naill and Sonja Braga plan to do to stop the upcoming war? Why were you the missing piece of the puzzle?"_

_Naill had fought in all of the previous Fairy Wars. He lost many family members to both war and revenge killings, including his own wife and children. These wars were an endless battle between two factions of immortals, with humans caught in the middle. The strife between vampires and fairies, and the rivers of bloodshed, would go one forever if someone didn't say enough. Naill planned to end the wars for good._

_"How?" Helena asked._

_The Man From Dallas remembered, "As I, Naill and Sonja Braga sat together, I saw another woman suddenly appear. She said nothing. She came and stood next to Sonja but looked straight at me. I realized that she was a being from … another world; but she looked as real as you are right now._

_Sonja Braga said, 'This is Cassandra of Troy, the witch who fell in love with me and taught this dead vampire her living secrets. As you can see, she is dead, in the human sense of the word.' I could tell Sonja was heartbroken._

_I asked Sonja how her beloved died. She told me that it was forbidden for witches and vampires to intermingle, let alone be lovers. They hid their relationship, but Cassandra's coven eventually found out. They became enraged and killed her._

_Sonja said, 'The way that they killed Cassandra included a spell, a terrible curse. Now her soul cannot find peace. I need to find that for her. I need to help her find peace."_

_I asked if that search for Cassandra's peace is why she was working with Naill to end the wars. She said it was. Naill explained to me, 'Each of these three factions – fairies, vampires and humans – has their own bible, their own prohibitions that shall not be violated under penalty of death. One of those prohibitions forbids intermarriage. Even intermingling, just being friends, is strictly forbidden and punished. We are talking about consenting adults, so why do you think that is?_

_I said I didn't know. I had never questioned it. Naill practically screamed at me, 'But you must. You absolutely must question it! Accepting it is the continuation of desolation. Questioning it is the beginning of evolution. Those who question that state of things, to my knowledge, are never given an answer that makes sense. We are essentially told it must be done because that's the way it is. I say no more. Too many lives have been lost and too much blood has been shed on all sides. I no longer accept that this is the way it is!'_

_Sonja Braga interrupted my mad fairy friend. She pointed to our hands, which were still joined, and said, 'Naill, calm down. I think your new friend … even as we speak, is questioning everything. He is, at this very moment, engaged in a revolutionary act.'_

_Naill calmed himself and smiled at me. He said, "I'm sorry. I guess I have just found you, and I fear I may lose you." I could not believe it, Helena, but I heard myself telling Naill that he would never lose me._

_Naill smiled and said, "Sonja and Cassandra committed the first revolutionary act, simply by being together. They brought together vampires and humans, as friends, as lovers, as soul mates. This is a clear abomination, a violation of both the human and vampire bibles._

_During this past decade, I've committed the second revolutionary act. First, after having pure fae children and advancing the cause of genetic purity for eons, I did the unthinkable. I chose for myself a human wife. My human wife Elin and I had two children. These children, through our union, were half fae and half human."_

_I interrupted Naill because I noticed that he referred to his children in the past tense. He told me that his vampire enemies killed his wife and both his children. His enemies wanted him to feel the pain of loss that Naill had once caused them._

_He said, "I was devastated. But violence begets violence, and it was I who started the violence that created this vicious cycle of war. I did not let this attack deter me from my goal. I forgave the vampires who killed my family, but I could not try again myself to procreate. My heart couldn't bear it. I instructed members of my family line to … intermingle with humans, to procreate with them. Unfortunately, I didn't think I needed to explain that this procreation should be done with mutual consent.'_

_"Wait," Helena interrupted. "Naill's family members … raped humans and impregnated them?"_

_The Man From Dallas nodded, sadly. "Yes, they did. They took Naill's commandment, which was meant to foster true love in this world, and used it as permission to satisfy their own lusts. They never viewed humans as equals. So, yes, many of the hybrid children created out of these unions were conceived by rape."_

_Helena didn't know what to make of this. But she needed to know more. She asked, "What happened to those hybrids?"_

_The vampire sheriff replied, "The fae rulers discovered what Naill had done. They found all of the human/fairy hybrids and killed them, except those of one family. Naill came to Sonja Braga and Cassandra of Troy that day in 1702 to get their help in casting a protection spell to safeguard this last family until it was time."_

_Helena asked, "Time for what?"_

_The man said, "Until the emergence of the Astrological Age of Aquarius, which was the next time that the doorways between this world and the hidden worlds would open up. The opening of these doorways signals the advent of the next great war, which we hope to prevent. Then it will be time for us to try and correct the wrongs that were done, by all sides. It was vital that this hybrid human/fairy family survive until then."_

_Helena asked, "And did this family survive?"_

_The Man From Dallas nodded, "Yes."_

_Helena followed with, "You use the word we and us. How do you fit into this plan?"_

_The Man From Dallas explained, "The wars involve fairies, humans and vampires. Naill believed that the way to stop these wars from ever happening again was to challenge the hateful religions and beliefs of all three groups. He knew arguments and debates would never work. The factions didn't even interact with each other, let alone talk to each other. Meaningful communications across groups were basically forbidden. So Naill planned to create living, breathing peacemakers, ones in which each faction has a vested interest."_

_"Hybrid children!" Helena exclaimed._

_"Precisely," agreed the Man From Dallas. "Naill had successfully created a generation of human/fairy hybrids. But this wasn't good enough. The children of peace that he envisioned needed fairy, human and vampire blood running through their veins."_

_Helena stated more than asked, "And you were to be the source of that vampire blood."_

_The Man From Dallas nodded. "Yes. As I sat there with my three new … friends, Cassandra emanated a bright light that covered my whole body. That light bathed me in warmth. It felt as if I was standing in the sun. Sonja Braga smiled and exclaimed, 'It is decided. Cassandra says that you are the vampire. You are the one. You are the one we've been waiting for.'_

_I asked them why me. Sonja told me in order for this plan to work, they needed a human, a fairy and a vampire to fight from both sides of the doorway, from both worlds. Sonja said it was clear that I've wanted to leave this world for a long time._

_I asked whether there wasn't a stronger vampire, someone like Sonja, who is much, much older than me. Sonja said that her role was already determined. She is to provide the magic on this side of the doorway, in this world._

_She said, 'We have learned that having knowledge is useless if no one believes you. Poor Cassandra knew about the Trojan Horse. She warned and warned everyone she could, and no one believed her. If one person in power had listened to Cassandra, maybe the Trojan War would have turned out differently. Troy doomed itself because it didn't believe. You believe. That makes you the one.'_

_I accepted this charge, and agreed to work with Naill and Sonja Braga, and Cassandra of Troy, to stop this upcoming war."_

_Helena had so many questions. She asked, "So did you … mate with one of the human/fairy hybrids?"_

_The Man From Dallas shook his head, "No. We had a desire and a plan, but no way to execute it yet."_

_Helena was confused. "I don't understand."_

_The vampire sheriff explained, "In addition to all the biblical prohibitions against intermingling and copulation among the three groups, there were … genetic barriers. The direct hybrid offspring of Naill's fairies and humans were often sterile, or themselves produced children with health problems. These offspring didn't live very long, and couldn't reproduce themselves. Moreover, vampires are dead. They cannot produce children through mating. But we believed that in time we could collectively find an answer to address this problem. We just needed to understand how to bridge the gaps in our genetic makeups. We needed our genes to … remember that they are all … interconnected and part of the same universe."_

_Helena's eyes lit up. Finally she understood. "And that is why you allowed Dr. McFadden to use your blood to create us. You wanted to learn from his experiments, so that you could make your own human/fairy/vampire hybrids?!"_

_"Yes," said the Man From Dallas. "Dr. McFadden taught me about quantum physics. He taught me that it was possible to create what we dreamed of creating by manipulations at the subatomic level. I wanted to see him accomplish his goal. With you, M and Quinn, he exceeded my wildest expectations. You became our blueprint for what is possible. We were amazed that it was a human who gave us the key. In this, we saw God."_

_Helena excitedly asked, "So did you … create a vampire/fairy/human hybrid after you learned from us?"_

_The Man From Dallas shook his head. "No, we learned a lot from you, but you are not human. Your makeup is hybrid, but entirely supernatural. We tried and determined that something unique about the human genetic makeup required … childbearing. We could adapt the supernatural components through manipulation of the quantum world, otherwise known as magic. That magic will be Sonja Braga and Cassandra's contribution. Naill's family line has already contributed the fairy/human combination, and when it is time my family line will contribute the vampire component."_

_"I don't understand," Helena said. "What else did you need?"_

_"We needed the fairy blood in this last human family to become sufficiently diluted, so that one of its members could bear healthy children. We needed a hybrid woman who was mostly human, but with enough fae attributes to bear fae children. We didn't have that yet, and all we could do was wait for it to happen._

_In preparation for when the awaited fae bearing female was born, Naill insisted on making an official contract. As a fairy prince, his contract would be respected and upheld by Faery. It was considered an abomination for a fairy to enter into a contract with a vampire. In fact, such a contract had never before been entered into. The fae leaders wouldn't like it, but their laws required that they respect it. I met with Naill, Sonja Braga and Cassandra of Troy on August 3, 1702. Two days later, on August 5, Naill obtained the agreement for this contract from the patriarch of the human/fairy hybrid family._

_The night that the contract was signed, me, Niall and Sonja Braga celebrated our grand plan."_

_"How?" Helena asked._

_The Man From Dallas smiled sheepishly. "With our own symbolic union. We … shared flesh."_

_Helena blushed, but pushed past her embarrassment. She asked, "And did you and Naill ever … share flesh? Just the two of you?"_

_The Man From Dallas whispered, almost as if he were talking to himself, "Yes, countless times. And as it turns out, I got to taste his intoxicating blood, as much as I wanted."_

_Helena blushed. She kept silent for a while, thinking about this love story between her vampire father and the fairy prince Naill. She then remembered something she desperately wanted to know. "You said that your family line is going to contribute the vampire component to the hybrid children. Do you mean me, M and Quinn or … Are there others? Do I have other family members?"_

_Helena held her breath, waiting for the answer. The Man From Dallas said, "Yes, you have a vampire brother, a sister, a niece, and … a great-nephew."_

_Helena exhaled and felt her heart, which had almost slowed to a normal pace, start to race again. "Who … who are they?"_

_The sheriff calmly replied, "You know them. At this point I dare say you know them almost as well as I do, except for meeting them in person, of course."_

_Helena shook her head, trying rapidly to go through the rolodex of her mind to figure out who these vampire relatives could be. "I don't know. I don't know who you mean."_

_The Man From Dallas smiled and said, "Your brother is Eric Northman, Sheriff of Louisiana Area 5. Your sister is Nora Gainsborough, Chancellor of the American Vampire Authority. Your niece is the child of Eric Northman, Pamela Swynford de Beaufort. Your great-nephew is Colin Jackson, Pamela's child."_

_The Man From Dallas sat quietly, allowing Helena to process this. Finally, she said, "Eric and Pamela's connection was easy to see. We also figured out that Eric and Nora were vampire siblings a long time ago. They tried to keep this a secret, but our surveillance methods were too good. We knew that their maker was still alive, but we could never discover his identity."_

_The vampire sheriff smiled a devilish grin. "It's good to know that my evasion methods are better than even your federal surveillance technologies."_

_Helena asked, "Colin, Pamela's son. I never knew he existed. Where is he?"_

_The Man From Dallas's face saddened, "Pamela turned him over 100 years ago, then released him soon thereafter. They have been … separated … since that time."_

_Helena shook her head, confused. "Why would Pamela release her child, especially when he was so young."_

_The vampire could see Helena's surprise. He knew that a mother giving up her child was an alien idea to her wolfen sensibilities. He said, "Don't judge your niece too harshly, Helena. Pamela was a baby vampire herself when she turned Colin, and my own child should have been a better father."_

_Helena asked, "Do you know where Colin is?"_

_The vampire sheriff nodded, "Yes, I know where all my children are, at all times. Colin is fine. He hurts, but he is a very strong vampire. He is making his own way, his own journey, which he needs to do right now. I have allowed that. I have the peace of knowing that bonds, once established, are never severed, even if separated. Quantum truth number four, remember?"_

_Helena nodded and accepted this. She said out loud, trying to convince herself, "So I have siblings? A brother and a sister. And a niece. And a great-nephew. A family I've never known?"_

_The Man From Dallas nodded._

_Helena asked, "Do Eric, Nora and Pamela know about your… friendship with Sonja Braga and … Naill?"_

_The vampire sheriff shook his head. "No, they do not. They cannot know. Not yet."_

_"Why?" Helena implored._

_"Because they need to evolve first," the boyish vampire said, as if the answer was obvious. "Right now, their knowledge would hinder, not advance our plans."_

_"And me?" Helena asked._

_The vampire sheriff explained, "You were born evolved, at least when it comes to receiving this kind of knowledge. You were not raised as a vampire. You wield so much power, and yet you do not abuse it. Your life is full of joy. You know how to be part of a family. You are not a monster. You and M and Quinn, quite literally, represent a quantum leap in the evolution of my blood line. And the maenad in you helps you to implicitly understand why what I am doing is so important. My other children … Eric, Nora and Pamela … are faithless, and much of that is my fault. I am trying to reverse this, but it will take time."_

_"What did the contract with Naill say?" Helena asked._

_The Man From Dallas closed his eyes, as if reading the contract in his mind. "It states: 5th of August 1702, I, in reference to our binding agreement on this said date, do grant Mr. M. WARlow my first fae bearing female heir."_

_Helena asked, puzzled, "That is the same name you gave to me when I saw you in Bon Temps in 1991. And wait, in 1953, when you saw me in Washington, DC? It was Naill who was with you, wasn't it?" Helena sat up, excited._

_The vampire sheriff nodded. "You are very smart, Helena."_

_Helena paused, processing the picture of her father's fairy prince that was floating around in her mind from that day in 1953. She asked, "Naill called you that same name back then. Why did you use that name, and not the name you gave me today?"_

_The Man From Dallas explained, "The first name, initialed with the letter M, is an adaptation of my own human family name. The second name, WARlow, is not mine; but I adopted it pursuant to a spell cast by Sonja Braga and Cassandra of Troy._

_That name belongs to a vampire who seeks vengeance against the fae on behalf of Lilith and itself for grave wrongs done to both of them. This WARlow killed Naill's wife Elin and their two children. Despite WARlow's evil actions, Naill was committed to stopping this war. Love had forever changed him. _

_Naill and the fae started the war, so WARlow's revenge against Naill's family was really a response to Naill's own evil actions. Remember what I told you, Helena. Change is hard because the evil a man does follows him. Revenge doesn't die just because you change._

_I entered the contract with a fairy using this amalgamation of my human name and the vengeful vampire's name as a gesture toward healing this rift among fairies, vampires and humans once and for all. In a sense, all three entities are a symbolic party to this contract. The contract represents forgiveness. Naill's forgiveness, on behalf of the fae; my forgiveness on behalf of vampires; and the human/hybrid patriarch's forgiveness on behalf of humans. Forgiveness is the only thing that can stop the endless, destructive cycle of war and revenge."_

_"The gesture was … a symbolic gesture?" Helena clarified._

_The vampire sheriff sipped blood wine. "For now, yes. The contract symbolically represents that these hybrid children resulting from the contract will belong to vampires and fairies and humans. But in the future it is intended that I will psychically join with this vampire named WARlow, at which time I will own both my name and WARlow's name. In essence, I will be both myself and WARlow."_

_Helena's eyebrows raised in shock. She couldn't conceptualize how this was possible, but she accepted it. She asked, "And what will this vengeful vampire who currently is WARlow be?_

_"Free," said the vampire sheriff._

_"I don't understand." Helena frowned._

_The Man From Dallas took her hand and earnestly said, "You can't understand now, my child. It is too soon and too much. When the time is right, trust me. You will know and understand everything."_

_They sat in silence. Helena marveled once again, "I've been listening to Eric, Nora and Pamela for years now. And you say they are … my family."_

_"Yes, they are" the vampire sheriff said._

_"I have a brother, a sister and a niece. And a great-nephew." Helena said this out loud, to make it true in her heart._

_"Yes," her father said._

_Helena looked up suddenly, meeting her father's gaze. "What happened to Naill? Are the two of you still … together?_

_The Man From Dallas sat silently. Helena waited for him to say something, getting increasingly nervous. She watched in dismay as blood red tears started to fall from her father's eyes. "He is in a different form now. In a different world. He is now like Cassandra of Troy. He is dead. We kept our … friendship a secret. We had no choice. But the fae leaders found out about us. And when they did, they killed him."_

_Helena tried to remain calm. She implored, "When? Where?"_

_Her father answered through falling tears, "In 1991, in Bon Temps, Louisiana. A major doorway to Faery was in Bon Temps. The vampire WARlow is being held in Faery. It was a great victory for us to capture him. Naill, Sonja Braga, Cassandra and I wanted to try and … join me and WARlow. To see if we could make it work._

_Naill snuck us all into Faery. With the witches' help, we were successful in temporarily joining me and WARlow. I was even able to walk around Bon Temps, outside of Faery, as this hybrid of myself and WARlow._

_Then … something happened … an unexpected … Something unexpected happened while we were outside in Bon Temps. I had no choice but to try and … intervene. That's how we were discovered. The fae discovered that Naill had invited witches and vampires into Faery. They were horrified. With our age and power, Sonja Braga and I could easily have killed lots of fae. The fae leaders wouldn't hear any of Naill's explanations. They … blasted him. Several of them blasted him at the same time. He died in my arms."_

_Helena got out of her chair and kneeled before her father. The protective wolf in her wanted to hold him and take away his pain. She wiped away his tears with her hands. She asked, "What happened that caused you to reveal yourself? What was the unexpected thing that happened?"_

_The vampire sheriff wept and said nothing. Helena waited. Nothing. Finally she said, "You won't tell me?"_

_The Man From Dallas shook his head. He cried silently. Helena held him, as he lowered his head onto her shoulder." He whispered, "I am not supposed to do this. Naill told me not to do this."_

_Helena whispered back, her voice cracking, "Do what?"_

_Her father lamented, "Cry. I am not supposed to cry because that part of my life with Naill is over. I am supposed to smile because it happened."_

_Helena held her father and rocked him slowly. She felt so much sorrow for her him. She had always had M, and later Afrida. They lived and worked together. The three of them were openly affectionate. Helena could not imagine loving someone so much and having to keep it hidden, even from your own family. She suddenly felt very thankful for something she had always taken for granted. She held her father tightly. They stayed in each other's arms for some time. Helena did not know how long. She lost track of time._

**_Helena and the Man From Dallas Renew Their Vampire Bond_**

_The Man From Dallas abruptly stood, taking Helena by the hand and lifting her to her feet. Helena briefly reflected on how much taller she was than her father, and yet he seemed so much larger than life. In Helena's mind, her father's presence surrounded her. She liked how that felt._

_The Man From Dallas silently pulled Helena by the hand down a long hallway with mahogany wood moldings and up a grand, winding flight of hardwood stairs. She followed him without knowing where he was taking her. Finally she asked, "Where are we going?"_

_The Man From Dallas answered, "I want … I need to renew our vampire bond. It was severed by Dr. McFadden, but nothing is truly severed once interconnected. Do you want that?"_

_Helena was trying to understand what was happening, but things suddenly were moving too fast as she was pulled down another long hallway. She replied, "Yes, very much. But…"_

_Helena stopped and pulled back, stopping the Man From Dallas, as she found herself just inside the entrance to his bedroom. Her eyes widened as she saw an ornate, king-sized bed._

_The Man From Dallas turned around to face her. He asked, "What is wrong?"_

_Helena tried to find the words. "I … Are you asking me to do what I think you're asking? To be … intimate with you?"_

_The Man From Dallas stared at her blankly. The answer was obvious. Helena objected, "I … I can't do this. I'm not like you. My sexual nature is not vampiric. It's wolfen. This was by the deliberate design of my human creators. I have a family. I know this may sound odd, considering I'm speaking about two people, not one, but … M and Afrida will feel I've betrayed them. I can't … be unfaithful to them."_

_Helena's father smiled. "I know what Dr. McFadden created in you. I can only tell you that the purpose of the act is not sexual gratification. Vampire sexuality is … complex. It is not unusual for maker and progeny to share flesh. It is a bonding process."_

_"But it can also be sexual, yes?" Helena asked, remaining skeptical._

_"What you say is correct," her father replied. "It is not unusual for a maker and progeny to form a romantic bond. But this act that I propose with you is not romantic. It is to bond us as vampire father and daughter, to share the sacred blood and reestablish the invisible bond that tethered us before I was forced to release you."_

_"I want that, very much," Helena said. "Can't we … spend more time together? I can come back to Dallas. You could come to New York."_

_The Man From Dallas shook his head. "I'm afraid there won't be time for that."_

_Helena thought for a moment, desperation forming in her features. "Then at least let me … bring M to you, so that he can be with you, as well."_

_Helena's father regarded her, full of sorrow. "My child, if there was time, I would give you that. But there isn't. I am surprised that you came to me, but when I heard your voice on the phone I accepted it. Everything that's meant to happen, does."_

_"Why? I don't understand. Why won't there be time?" Helena pleaded. She wanted this connection with her vampire father so badly, but she didn't want to betray M and Afrida._

_Her father held her by the shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "There is going to soon come a time when I will no longer exist in this form. I will meet the sun. I will exist in a new form, on a new plane of existence. If our blood is united, then I will be able to communicate with you, even from that other world. But in order to do that, I need us to reestablish the sacred bond."_

_Helena's eyes filled with tears. She had just found her father, and it sounded to her like he was saying he was going to leave her. He was going to die. "Why are you doing this to me? Why did you tell me who you were, to then say you are leaving me? Why are you going to meet the sun? It sounds like it's by your choice."_

_The Man From Dallas was melancholy, but serene. "It is by my choice, but I made the choices that will lead to this transformation hundreds of years ago. Remember that I told you change is difficult because your past follows you. My past is coming for me. Humans have grown weary of being prey for vampires. They loathe us, with good reason. Some of those humans are coming to make an example of me. I will not resist them."_

_Helena, despite all that she had heard, could not accept this. She shook her head and asked, "When? When is this going to happen?"_

_"Soon," the vampire sheriff said._

_"Why me? Why do I have to know this?" Helena asked, mostly to herself._

_The Man From Dallas smiled. "Because you were the only one ready to meet me. And of all my children, you are the only one ready to hear and understand the story of my journey. I would not come to you, as much as I wanted to do so, as much as I wanted you to know who I am. You knew that I wasn't just another vampire when you heard my voice on the phone. You could have told M to come here with you._

_Why didn't you tell M anything about your suspicions, Helena? Because you knew that your experience would have been profoundly different had you brought M to Dallas with you. You knew he would doubt you, and me. You came to me alone because you alone are ready for this, and you knew it. You've met me several times before today. Have you ever told M about any of those meetings?"_

_Helena shook her head. "No."_

_"Why not?" her father asked._

_Helena replied, "B-because … M believes that the maenad part of me, makes me prone to spiritual fantasies, delusions. He thinks I'm always looking for the god who comes."_

_"And what do you think?" her father asked._

_Helena looked around her father's bedroom. She looked at his bed, then turned to her left and looked toward the door and down the hallway from whence she came. "I think everything in my entire being is screaming at me to turn left and leave. Now."_

_Helena pulled away from her father. She turned and walked toward the door. She expected the Man From Dallas to grab her arm and pull her back to him. He didn't. She expected at any moment for him to speed ahead of her and block her path. He didn't. She walked down the hallway and looked back. The Man From Dallas stood in almost the same spot where she left him. His back now faced her. His arms hung loosely at his sides and his head tilted up slightly, as if he was studying something high on the wall._

_Helena stood at the top of the stairway, looking down at the path to exit this place. She had left her briefcase at the dining table. She needed to go retrieve it. She suddenly realized she had been talking to the vampire sheriff all night. She checked her phone. There were several missed calls from M, Afrida and Quinn. She placed all three of their names into the "To" line of a text message. _

_Her fingers paused, waiting for her mind to tell them what to type. She looked back at the Man From Dallas. He was standing, like a statue, in exactly the same position._

_Helena stood still for several long minutes. She tapped the phone, thinking. She bit her bottom lip, thinking. She took a deep breath, then another, thinking. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Finally, she typed, "Got delayed in Dallas. I'm fine. I'll be home tomorrow night." She pressed the "send" button and turned back around._

_Helena stopped just inside her father's bedroom and nervously joked, "How do I know this isn't some thing you do to amuse yourself? Lure beautiful, young, impressionable vampire women to your lair and seduce them with tales of being their long lost father?"_

_The Man From Dallas slowly turned around. He quipped, "And spend an entire evening regaling them about quantum physics and the meaning of life? Am I not handsome and gracious enough to have had you at hello?"_

_Helena smiled nervously, holding her place at the doorway. The Man From Dallas smiled and gently asked his daughter, "What have you decided to do?"_

_Helena swallowed down her fears and said, "Everything in me is still screaming for me to go left. But I'm going right."_

_The Man From Dallas regarded his beautiful daughter, whose chest was literally heaving. He walked over to her and pulled her to him. He held her close to him for several minutes, until she calmed down. He leaned back and gazed into her eyes. When he saw that she was completely settled, he leaned in, tilted his head up and gently kissed her._

_At first Helena didn't know what to do. She had never been in this position. She had never kissed a man other than M. The maenad part of Helena was in a state of bliss. The wolf part of her wanted to flee in repulsion. The vampire part of her was engaged and starting to become aroused. The android part of herself tried to process all of this, and decided it had no frame of reference. It simply cycled some investigatory program over and over, trying to find some rational meaning in all of this. The fairy part of herself was giddy and also … aroused. The various parts of Helena had voted and decided in favor of this union with her father by a narrow 3-2 margin._

_The Man From Dallas slowly undressed Helena and then himself. Helena averted her eyes away from his nakedness. He guided her to his bed, placed her underneath the covers, then came underneath the sheet beside her. She caressed his arm and asked, "What does this tattoo mean?"_

_Her father answered, "It means 'water.' I was born by the sea."_

_Helena gazed into her father's eyes, then allowed her eyelids to slowly close as he started to caress her. They kissed, unhurried and deeply. Helena was experiencing one set of contradictions after another. This time with her father went slowly and moved in a blur at the same time. She felt both extremely grounded and connected; and also floating outside of herself. She felt exhilarated and at peace. She felt aroused, and relaxed._

_Helena was on some level aware of caresses all over her body, between her legs. She felt kisses on her neck and breasts. But she was most intently focused on the whisper of a hum in her chest. It was the strangest sensation, but she started to remember that a long time ago, she had felt it before. The hum grew from a whisper to a vibration. It took on substance, nestling into a tiny but fixed space to the right of her heart. She imagined hundreds of tiny tendrils snaking from this vibrating hum, making their way slowly to her chest and pushing outward, trying to break through the surface of her skin._

_Helena's android self was now positively engaged. It suddenly realized that this was newness, and any new experience was appreciated as something to examine. Her android self appreciated the differences between the Man From Dallas and M. Whereas M was tall and large and heavy and dense, the Man From Dallas was compact and much smaller and lighter. If not for who he was, Helena's wolfen nature would have instinctively cradled him protectively. _

_Helena's alpha nature would not normally allow herself to be dominated, to be mounted. But this was her father, and so instead, she willingly lay on her back underneath him and felt her arms wrapping around the Man From Dallas, clinging to him, trying to pull him even closer to her. Her android self searched for his heartbeat, until it remembered that he didn't have one._

_But there, right next to the place where his heart used to beat, was the same hum. It vibrated, initially to its own rhythm, but now in time with the hum in Helena's chest. She arched her back, pushing her chest up against her vampire father as he entered her. Helena had expected her wolfen self to resist him, but to her surprise it invited him inside her. She felt safe, open, witnessed. She and the Man From Dallas danced like two waves, meeting in the middle of the sea, out of rhythm for a moment, then synchronized into a single ebbing and cresting movement._

_This dance looked like the dance she had done with M and Afrida countless times, but it was decidedly different. Her goal was different. Unlike with M and Afrida, she did not focus on physical release. Her entire being was centered around experiencing … music, a duet. For some reason, an image of an orchestra came into her mind, and she heard a piece of music. Only the strings section played – violins, cellos, even harps. Those musical strings played in her mind as the invisible strings emanating from the vibrating hum near her heart pushed themselves up and out of her chest, past her skin. The music in Helena's mind crescendoed as those invisible string-like tendrils kissed the tendrils dancing from her father's chest._

_The two sets of strings kissed, danced furtively, wrapped themselves around each other, then melded, until they were a single connection extending from Helena to her father, and from him to her. Their bodies continued their wave dance. Helena's android mind noted with some curiosity that the Man From Dallas' movements toward release were different from M's. M's movements were like a steep climb up a jagged mountain, followed by a rapid exhilarating free fall off the other side._

_The Man From Dallas' movements were a contrast of stillness, meditation, calmness. Whereas M pushed and fought his way to release, her vampire father allowed release to come to him, wash over him. He didn't fear drowning. But Helena knew from years of studying the vampires she now knew to be her family that what something looks like on the outside gives little clue to what it is like on the inside. Despite the calmness of her father's demeanor and his meditative movements as he writhed on top of her, Helena began to feel the sensation of a raging river rushing toward her on the inside. For a moment she panicked, until her android mind told her this was the vampire bond opening up. Her father was sending her his every emotion. She braced herself._

_Helena's head jerked backwards. She clamped her eyes shut and turned her head, and the side of her face pressed into the pillow as she felt her father's joy, fears, sorrows, gratitude, and immense love pouring into her. The feelings came at her so rapidly that she gave up trying to process them. The alpha wolf that almost never cried felt her own emotions overwhelm her, as she was blown away by the utter power of the reestablished bond._

_From someplace far away, she heard a voice that she knew was her own cry out. She felt tears streaming down her face. She opened her eyes for a moment when she felt her father's hand wiping away her tears. But he also was crying, and smiling at the same time. His face was rain and sunshine. Helena watched his blood red tears streak down his pale face, and for some reason she thought of a rainbow._

_Through their newly formed bond, Helena felt her father's release building, and then his teeth sinking into her throat. Her fangs clicked and she bit him. Her father's blood rushed into her mouth as his emotions rushed into her chest._

_Part of Helena was in another world. And in that world, she allowed the river of blood and watery tears, the river of emotions, and the waves of physical release to sweep her away. Her rational android self reminded her that somewhere in the physical world lay her body, safely pinned between her father and the bed._

_In Helena's last moments before falling into a deep, tearful and exhausted sleep, she felt her wolfen self, the last holdout, accept this unexpected union with her vampire father as right and good. Her wolfen self wrapped Helena in a warm embrace of self-protection, assuring her that she had not betrayed her family._

_Her inner wolf, of all the parts of herself, was surprisingly the one that assured Helena that she would be able to communicate this experience to M in a way that he could, eventually, understand. She even held out hope that somehow, this reestablished connection with the Man From Dallas would give her the means to help M and Quinn one day connect with their father, even if he resided somewhere beyond the physical world._

**_Dallas, Texas: Friday, July 31, 2009_**

**_Helena Says a Long Goodbye to the Man From Dallas_**

_Helena woke up the following day late in the afternoon, just before sunset. She felt disoriented for a moment, not recognizing her surroundings. Then she looked down and saw the Man From Dallas next to her. He was still deep in Sleep. Her mind startled as she remembered what had happened the night before. She looked down and saw that she was nude, and so was … her father. Her vampire father._

_Helena quieted herself and listened with her mind. There it was. The hum in her chest was strong and vibrant. She felt calm, joyous, serene, but also giddy and wildly exhilarated, like she was high on cotton candy. Helena was usually not excitable, and she knew those feelings were not hers. She was feeling her father dreaming, and his dream was a very happy one. She smiled a tiny smile, happy that the presence of that hum within her chest gave constant affirmation of her decision to share flesh with her vampire father._

_Helena quietly got out of bed. She wrapped a sheet around her body and took her clothes with her for a walk down the long hallway. Her father's house served as an official residence, which presumably hosted humans. She hoped this meant it contained a toilet. She checked several rooms, and thankfully found a bathroom with a shower and a toilet. Helena went to the dining room and retrieved her briefcase, Helena had taught her son that whenever traveling, even for a short trip, it was wise to bring a toothbrush and one change of underwear. The wise alpha wolf, of course, followed her own advice._

_Helena showered and dressed into her green Army uniform. By the time she finished, the sun had set, and she heard the automatic wood shutters throughout the mansion opening. She returned to her father's bedroom. To her surprise, he wasn't there. She called his name. No answer. She called out, "Father," seeing how the word felt on her lips. She decided that she liked it a great deal._

_Helena roamed through the house calling her father. As she was continually met with silence, she started to grow increasingly agitated. She calmed herself, remembering the bond, feeling the hum in her chest. She tapped into it. It told her that her father was somewhere in the house. She concentrated, trying to figure out how to use the bond to pinpoint her father's location. After she gained a bit of confidence, she turned and strolled purposefully in the opposite direction. She stopped calling for her father. She knew she could find him._

_Helena wound down long, lushly painted hallways in the massive mansion until she came to a set of stairs leading to a lower level. She concentrated. Her father was down there. She was certain of this. She descended the stairs and walked down another hallway, until she arrived at a large open area. There were weapons on the beige padded wall and thicker white padding on both the floor and ceiling. Pitch-black curls fell into Helena's face as she looked up. The ceiling was unexpectedly high, easily more than 25 ft., which surprised her since the room was on the basement level._

_Before Helena could take in more of her surroundings, she felt the hair on the back of neck stand up and her fangs clicked. Her eyes glinted yellow. Danger, or at least a threat, was in the room with her. A flash of shadow brushed past her. Helena reacted to it instinctively, blocking a hit and stepping out of the shadow's path. The shadow attacked her again, and again. Each time she easily deflected the attacks. Her eyes moved rapidly, trying to fix on her attacker. She turned around and saw her father float to the floor. He was dressed only in a pair of form-fitting black sweatpants. His feet and his chest were bare._

_Helena retracted her fangs, and she blinked the yellow glint out of her eyes. She regarded her father warmly, her emerald-green eyes squinting as she smiled. Her father maintained his stance across from her, appraising her intently. Helena shook her head and resigned herself that for whatever reason this was how her father wanted to spend his time with her. _

_She did not know him well, but she sensed that most of the time his emotional state was somewhere on a range of sad and pensive to serene and contemplative. She guessed he had laughed more with her in the past twenty-four hours than he had in years. Now it seemed that her father wanted to … play fight; and Helena was happy to indulge him._

_Helena remembered her uniform and the regalia neatly pinned to her jacket. She wryly held up her hand, telling her father to hold on a moment. She meticulously removed her jacket and hung it neatly on one of the hooks on the wall. She then removed her white dress shirt and hung it on the wall on a separate hook, leaving her standing in just her green slacks and a military issue, white tank top. _

_Helena's body was tall, lithe and muscular, but not overly so. The slight straightness of her shoulders and hips made her appear ... somewhat boyish. But a revealing outfit showed that Helena had subtle but definitely feminine curves. Her tank top revealed toned tan arms and full breasts. Her slacks hung perfectly off her toned butt and slender but muscular legs, tight enough to show off her body, but lose enough for maneuverability._

_The Man From Dallas quipped, "The United States military is a thorough teacher. My daughter is ever the disciplined, and neat soldier."_

_Helena smiled and assumed a defensive stance. She waited. Her father asked her, "How old are you, child?" He said the word child mockingly, and as predicted, his tone bristled his competitive daughter._

_She glared, "I'm just shy of 104 years old. My birthday is the week after next, August 12; and you know this. But don't think you know anything about my abilities from my age."_

_The Man From Dallas smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will not. I've seen you fight many times."_

_Helena started to speak, "That's wise of you, because …" Then her father suddenly charged her. He punched at her face and body, then made sweeping sideways strikes. Helena stood her ground, blocking and deflecting each rapid fire attack. She hooked her father's left arm with her right hand, trapping it against her side, then smacked his chest with her left palm. The force sent him crashing against the opposite wall._

_Her father stood, unharmed. He said, "That was two hundred. Let's see how you deal with, hmmm, five hundred."_

_Helena's father charged her again. She stood her ground until the very last moment, sweeping his leg. He lost his balance but quickly recovered and spun around, sweeping his own leg and body, aiming to trip his daughter. But Helena jumped over her father's extended leg, avoiding the attack. She landed quickly catching his leg as it came back around. She braced her father's sweeping leg with both her own legs, then dropped to the floor with force, deftly pressing her knee into the back of his leg. She heard the bone crack as she pressed and twisted his leg into the floor. She jumped back to allow her father's leg to heal. To her amazement, her father made no noise and looked just as serene as ever._

_Her father said, "I see I am being too easy on you. Very well, one thousand."_

_Helena had deduced that her father was testing her strength using vampire age as a measuring tool. He was calibrating his attacks to mimic the strength of vampire opponents of varying ages. Helena was pleasing her father with every passing attack._

_A vampire's strength typically increased with age, but Helena wasn't a typical vampire. Not only was the vampire blood running through her veins exceptional, but the United States military had manipulated and enhanced that blood, making it and Helena significantly stronger in the process. Moreover, Helena was adept at using her android, wolf, fairy and maenad abilities to compliment and enhance her vampire skills even further. The end result was a fearsome fighting machine._

_The Man From Dallas had seen his daughter in battle many times during World War II, but he had long suspected that she held back against her woefully lesser human opponents. She did just enough to dispatch them, and no more. Helena's android mind logically told her to conserve her energy. She rarely engaged in sparring for sport, except occasionally with M, and mostly Quinn. These battles were playful, and again, she held back against her husband and child. Her battles with Afrida never got far, almost always devolving into sex. It was often spirited sex, but sex nonetheless._

_Helena's father had never seen her fighting skills tested against a worthy opponent, until now. His mind reeled at what he was witnessing. She was easily handling a hypothetical vampire five times her age. To his amusement, his daughter seemed almost bored with the engagement. He deliberately chose one thousand years old, as this was just shy of the age of his eldest child, Eric. The Man From Dallas refused to believe that his daughter, barely more than a century old, could best his millennia-old Viking son in combat._

_Helena stood her ground, as usual. Her only movement was the occasional flexing of her muscular arms as she waited for her father to make a move. The normally stoic Man From Dallas unleashed an uncharacteristic scream and charged straight for her. He kept screaming as he swung at her in rapid succession, his fists and arms moving much too fast for human eyes to follow. Helena's android mind easily calculated the angles and force of 4,789 attacks. Some of these blows and strikes came within inches of Helena's face and body, but her android mind told her that none of them would hit her and were therefore not a threat. _

_Helena conserved her energy and remained perfectly still. Suddenly, she grew bored with her father's silly screaming and the air from his missed strikes fanning her face. She smoothly grabbed one of his arms mid-strike. She swept his left leg from under him, shifting his balance. She pushed his chest with both palms and hurled him up into a wall. She sped toward him and grabbed his arm. She hurled him upward toward the ceiling and laughed._

_The Man From Dallas smiled as he floated above Helena, then gracefully landed on his feet. He faced his daughter and growled, "1400." He strolled up to Helena, then kicked her. Helena blocked his kick with her foot, deftly twisting her ankle over his and forcing his foot back to the ground. He kicked again and she did a variation of the same maneuver. As his foot was pressed to the ground a second time, the vampire sheriff circled smoothly, coming behind Helena. He tried to grab his daughter from behind, but she reached behind her own body and grabbed his hands. She quickly twisted her body so that they once again faced each other. He tried to head-butt her, but she backed up and shifted out of the way._

_The two of them twisted and turned, facing each other then circling, then one of them tried to grab the other from behind. Their hands and fingers intertwined into grips and locks and counter-moves too fast for human eyes to follow. They moved so agilely together that it looked as if they were dancing, neither gaining an advantage._

_The Man From Dallas suddenly speeded up his spin, came behind Helena and planted a knee to the back of Helena's leg. She lost her balance. He grabbed her by the throat and pushed her back into a wall. He glared and snarled, "1700."_

_Helena's eyes widened, but her father could sense through the bond that she was amused, not scared. He guessed that 1000 years old was his daughter's approximate true vampire age in terms of strength and fighting ability. However, she wasn't just a vampire. She had other weapons in her arsenal, which made her much stronger than a 1000 year old vampire. He had just watched her inner android raise that age to 1700._

_He was able to pin Helena's vampire/android self to the wall. He marveled when he saw her eyes glint yellow, as she brought forth the wolf part of herself to elevate her skills to the next level. Helena's inner wolf had uncanny, unparalleled self-protection instincts. Her wolfen nature could easily surmise an enemy's weakest points and effectively attack them. The Man From Dallas watched in awe as his daughter's yellow-tinted green eyes roamed over his entire body, ignoring her own pain as he squeezed her neck. She was planning an offensive attack._

_Helena suddenly and forcefully pounded down on her father's right bicep with her left hand, while simultaneously punching upward on the same forearm. She broke his arm, making him release his hold. She followed up with a hard open palm to the face, breaking his nose. He backed up. She pursued, kicking him in the ribs, following that with another kick to the groin. As her father doubled over in pain, she reached out and grabbed the corner of his face. The Man From Dallas felt the strange sensation of his daughter's thumb sweeping underneath his eyelid and pressing firmly on his eyeball, drawing blood. She moved her thumb out of his eye and pushed against his forehead, a blow that sent him soaring into the opposite wall._

_The Man From Dallas lay prone. He pushed his arm back into place and waited for his body to heal. As the vision in his injured but healing eye cleared, he looked up and saw Helena sucking blood from his eye off her thumb. She smirked, sending him the clear message that had she wanted to do so, she could have plucked out his eye. However, it wasn't nice to pluck out the eye of one's newly discovered father when they were just play fighting, and so she didn't._

_The Man From Dallas stood up and smiled a feral grin. He said, "Very well then. Me. All me." He indicated that he was now going to give his very gifted child everything he had, all two thousand plus years of his vampire strength. He sped up to Helena and punched her hard in the chest. She crashed into the weapons on the wall, and several of them fell on her as she hit the floor. As she shook off the dizziness, her father was on top of her, punching rapidly to her face and body. He grabbed her by the arm and tank top and hurled her into the opposite wall._

_To his amazement, his daughter remained inwardly calm through this onslaught. He felt her android self making rapid calculations. He jumped into the air and aimed a knee. She saw his approach and quickly moved out of the way, such that her father landed on the padded floor with a 'thud,' and not her body. He chased her around the room, and she focused on evading. This made the Man From Dallas very pleased. His admired that his fierce and competitive daughter was not too proud to run from an opponent when necessary. She almost never had to do this. In fact, the vampire sheriff had never seen his daughter run from a fight in actual combat. He was glad to see she knew how important the skill of evasion was to a fighter._

_Helena tried accessing her inner maenad. She vibrated, attempting to change the frequency of her father's body. She tried to take control of him, then remembered that maenad's could not take over vampires. It had something to do with vampires being dead and having no living internal functions for the maenad to tap into._

_The failure of her inner maenad slowed Helena's escape by a portion of a second, but this was more than enough time for her father to grab her and pin her to the ground. As Helena felt the sheer force of her more than two thousand year old vampire father pressing her back into the floor, she tapped into her inner fairy. She wrapped both arms around her father arms and pulled down hard, easing just a little of the grip of his hands around her neck. _

_Her inner wolf saw a weak point and quickly flipped her wrist and pressed four pointed fingers into his Adam's apple. He made a choking sound. This maneuver caused her father more surprise and discomfort than pain, but it was enough to make him ease his grip, allowing Helena to push against his chest and create some space._

_She blasted him with a hard ball of light, which hurled him up into the ceiling. He was dazed and fell back down. Before her father hit the floor Helena blasted him a second time, now sending his body crashing into a wall. She flipped forward onto her feet, both hands glowing brightly now. She suddenly picked up from the bond a crippling sorrow coming from her father. She watched him curl up on the floor. He was no longer fighting her._

_At first, Helena feared she had hurt him physically, until she searched the bond. Her android self cross-checked this feeling against all prior feelings she had received from her father. There was nothing concrete, but to her the feeling felt like …mourning. Helena's eyes widened as she deduced that blasting her father with fairy light had triggered a memory in him of losing Naill. She dropped her hands to her sides and the glowing light disappeared._

_She stopped and gazed lovingly at him. He stood. Helena could feel him tamping down the bond, but she knew enough to know that the sadness in her father hadn't disappeared. He was just hiding it. He attacked her. She allowed him to grab her. She didn't resist as he pushed her into a wall. He growled at her, "Don't hold back!" Helena refused to obey._

_Her father stared intently into his daughter's eyes and calmly said, "As your maker, I command you to fight me. Take the advantage."_

_Helena looked horrified, and a little angry. She hadn't realized that this was what she signed up for when she reestablished the bond with her vampire father. The alpha wolf in her hated his command, and she immediately accessed her inner android to seek ways to deny or get around obeying him._

_Her inner android surmised a way for Helena to avoid using her fairy light against her father. She remained completely still and gave him a self-satisfied smirk. He looked confused. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask, "Why aren't you blasting me? I commanded you."_

_Helena calmly answered, "No, Father. You didn't. You commanded me to take the advantage. Blasting you with fairy light is not an advantage to me, as I determine it. It causes you mental anguish, which I feel through our bond. Nothing that causes you anguish, which therefore causes me anguish, is an advantage to me. In fact, nothing done by my hand that causes my father pain is an advantage to me, so I will stand right here, thank you very much."_

_The Man From Dallas was both impressed and surprised, and at his age neither sentiment was easily induced in him. But after more than a century of observing his daughter, he knew her weaknesses, and one of them was her competitive nature. Using this knowledge, he lamented, "Oh well, then I guess we will have to call this fight a draw. If you want me to declare you the winner, you will need to find a way to take the advantage, in your estimation."_

_The Man From Dallas pushed his daughter to succeed at beating him. He thought there was a real possibility that she could do it. The thought both exhilarated and frightened him at the same time. He regarded his daughter. As anticipated, he could feel her android mind working to find an answer. She wanted to win. Her android did not want to go to the fairy, and she had exhausted her wolf and vampire capabilities. Perhaps she had given up too easily on the maenad aspect of herself._

_Her inner android went over the analysis again. What was it that prevented her from controlling vampires? She couldn't go inside of them and find any living component to tap into. She remembered her father's quantum truth number two – in the quantum world, two contradictory states can coexist. These contradictions exist in vampires. They are dead, but in a sense also living. What was living? What was living in her father, and how could she access and take control of it?_

_Then it hit her. Maybe her maenad couldn't tap into most vampires because she couldn't invade them from the outside, but her father wasn't most vampires. He was her father, and they were now bonded together from the inside. And that bond was like a living function that she could possibly tap into. Instead of directing her maenad energy toward her father's body from the outside, she internally directed that maenad power into the bond that they shared. Helena felt her maenad energy travel from the hum in her chest, across the invisible string that now tethered her and her father, then into him._

_Helena's body shook with power and excitement. She did it. Her maenad self was inside of her father. Her eyes captured his gaze. Her emerald-green pupils disappeared as both her eyes transformed into a shimmering black pool. Her father gasped as he felt his body being taken over. His eyes also shimmered black as Helena's inner maenad became his master._

_Helena controlled him, floating him up then down to the floor. She rested him on his back, then nestled her body on top of his. She placed a hand on her father's chest and tilted her head, searching his thoughts and memories. She wanted to know everything about her father, especially his secrets. This might annoy him, maybe even anger him; but it wouldn't hurt him. This power move therefore satisfied Helena's estimation of what constituted an advantage._

_Her father tried to move, but had no control over his body. He felt his daughter rifling through his thoughts with her maenad mind._

_Images from her father raced through Helena's mind. A little human boy who looked like her father running along the sandy shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Roman armies marching through ancient cities. Her father hanging upside down, bleeding into a bucket, followed by a sadistic looking man reaching for that bucket and drinking from it. 'That must be my father's maker,' Helena thought._

_Helena saw vanilla clouds racing across an impossibly blue sky. Then a brilliant sunny day and impossibly green grass. Her father loved his memories of daytime. Helena's heart filled with love for him._

_She saw an image of Eric, injured in battle, about to be turned. Then an image of Nora sleeping, and her father trying to wake her. Nora pushed away his hand and rolled over. Images of Pamela. Images of a handsome, caramel-skinned, black man during the … 1960's maybe? He sat in an open field surrounded by humans and vampires, playing a guitar and singing a sad song. More images of the same handsome black man. 'That must be Colin," Helena thought._

_More images of Eric, Nora and Pamela, followed by images of M, and Helena and Quinn. Rapid fire images of all his children, too many to process. Images of Naill, her father kissing him, tasting his blood, sharing flesh with him. Images of a beautiful woman with light brown hair and gray eyes. "Sonja Braga," Helena thought._

_Then to Helena's surprise, an image of Sookie Stackhouse and Jason Stackhouse, and then Tara Thornton, and an Asian woman Helena didn't recognize. Then a rainy night, rising waters and shadowy figures, a flooded bridge and a car. Then a woman Helena didn't know was staring at her and yelling, 'Stop! WARlow, leave the girl alone!"_

_Helena's android mind recorded all these images for future replay and study. Helena's father in the meantime, was focusing his energy on escaping this trap. His mind raced and he felt an increasingly sense of urgency. His child was searching, getting closer to secrets he couldn't afford for her to discover. Not yet. He saw the contract from 1702 looming in the not so far distance of his mind. She was racing toward it, trying to read the name of the grantor._

_He screamed in his mind, blocking her. This startled Helena enough for him to cry out, "As your maker, I command you to release me. Release my mind and stop reading my thoughts! Stop it now!"_

_The Man From Dallas realized in that moment that he was partly at his daughter's mercy. She was strong enough to resist the command. The Man From Dallas assessed the situation. He could command her again, just long enough to temporarily stop her sifting through his mind. He could then flood the bond with extremely unpleasant emotions. He knew enough about his child to know this would hurt her very much, immobilize her. He could then strike her with a focused and forceful punch, which would break the spell. But he feared that if he did any of this that he would hurt his child. He couldn't do it, so he decided he was going to trust his child to be merciful._

_In his entire vampire existence, the Man From Dallas had never felt so vulnerable. He allowed his fears and angst to flow freely through the bond. Those feelings flowed into his daughter. She frowned, as if realizing for the first time that she was hurting her father by rifling through his private thoughts._

_Helena could not bear to hurt her father, or be the cause of his fear and angst. She snapped herself out of her self-induced maenad trance. The blackness in her eyes receded and she gazed at her father once again with her emerald-green orbs. The black in his eyes was replaced by his usual piercing blue pupils. The Man From Dallas didn't need to breathe, but to his amazement he was gulping in large swallows of air._

_He slowly rolled over on top of Helena and gazed down at her. They stayed like this for several minutes, trying to recover from their sparring session. Helena looked up at her father, full of love and admiration. She was exhilarated that she had done so well against him in their fight. She smiled, then suddenly ran her hands rapidly through his hair. She used her fingers to comb through his hair, pushing strands in erratic directions until his hair stood on his head in a haphazard fashion._

_Her father's eyes looked up. He asked, "What are you doing?"_

_Helena giggled, which filled her father with joy because for the first time since he'd been in her company she sounded like a carefree little girl. Helena had never really been a baby vampire, so this was the best her father would get. "Messing up your hair," she said through growing giggles._

_"Why?" asked the Man From Dallas._

_"Because," Helena laughed. "I'm your daughter and I can get away with it."_

_Her father smiled, agreeing that she could indeed get away with making him look so undignified. He smiled down at her and said, "Thank you, my child."_

_"For what?" Helena asked._

_Helena's father caressed her cheek as he mused, "Among humans, it is a rite of passage for a father to grow old and infirm. He reaches a point where he becomes weak and his child becomes stronger than him. Then the father becomes like his child, and the child becomes like her father. The father hopes that he has given his daughter enough love and care, so that she will give the same to him in his old age. A human father's greatest peace comes when he raises a daughter who lovingly bathes him when he cannot bathe himself, and averts her eyes to leave him his dignity._

_Vampires never experience this with their children. Strength is dictated by age, and the father will always be older and stronger than his child. The child pursues the father in a race she can never win._

_But I have just experienced this very human moment, as I witnessed my own child best me in combat. My child recognized her power over her father, and chose compassion instead of ruthlessness. She chose to leave her father with his dignity, instead of lording over him._

_I have never been taken care of in my vampire life, not even by my own maker. Today, my daughter, who is less than a 20th of my age, showed me that she is truly my daughter and my mother. In this I see God."_

_Helena felt tears start to well in her eyes, but before the emotions took her over, she was suddenly airborne. She gathered her bearings and realized that her father was holding her and twirling her in a circle in mid-air. Helena felt giddy. She asked, "What are we doing?"_

_Her father replied, as if it was obvious, "We are dancing. Every daughter should get the chance to dance with her father. This is our chance."_

_Helena couldn't process all of this. It was too much, and too wonderful. All she could do was go with it. She felt like it was magic, but she knew her father would admonish her if he could read her thoughts. He had spent a long time the day before convincing her that magic was a lazy description for the quantum world, for so-called miracles that people couldn't understand. But as Helena's father, who had suddenly come into her life, held her and spun her around and sang to her off-key, the unexpected daughter didn't care that she was being mentally lazy. She told herself that yes, this was magic._

_Father and daughter floated back down to the floor. The Man From Dallas leaned against the wall and held Helena in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and gripped him tightly. She said, "I don't know anything about you."_

_Her father rubbed her back and said, "You know every important thing there is to know about me. The rest is simply an endless list of atrocities."_

_Helena fired questions at the Man From Dallas (MFD)._

_Helena: Where were you born?_

_MFD: Gaul, in what is now France._

_Helena: What language did you speak?_

_MFD: Gaulish, until the language died. Then I spoke Latin._

_Helena: When were you born? How old are you?_

_MFD: I was born in what is now known as 68 B.C. I am 2,077 years old._

_Helena: How old were you when you were turned into a vampire?_

_MFD: I was sixteen years old._

_Helena: Did you ever meet Jesus?_

_MFD: No, I missed him. I see the disappointment on your face. I was a slave to my master, even as a vampire. He was a ruthless monster. Not surprisingly, we didn't keep the company of early Christians._

_Helena: What is your favorite color?_

_MFD: That has changed over the years. Now it is blue. Sky blue. I miss the daytime sky. Sometimes on an exceptionally clear night, I can make out the blue in the sky. I like that._

_Helena: Did you do … what we did last night … how we were together, with your other children?_

_MFD: With Eric and Nora, yes. As I told you, this is not unusual for vampires and their children._

_Helena: I'm scared. I'm scared about going home. This has been like being on a tropical island, but now I have to face reality. M is going to feel betrayed. He is going to feel like I … cheated on him. And Afrida …_

_MFD: They will understand, Helena. It will be difficult at first, but they will understand._

_Helena: How can you know this?_

_MFD: Because I witnessed all of my children, Helena. Not just you. I witnessed M, and Quinn. Many times. They are not ready to believe yet, but deep down they know me. They remember me. Me and M … and me and Quinn … we are connected. Once a connection is formed, it is never severed, only separated._

_Helena: This is going to be hard._

_MFD: Yes, but you are strong, and your family bond is going to be even stronger by the end of all this. This is just practice for you. For what is in store for you. Your true purpose._

_Helena: You talk like a shaman. You talk like you know my future._

_MFD: I do. Or at least, I know your possible futures, and almost all of them are glorious._

_Helena: How can you see the future?_

_MFD: There are other worlds where time travel is nothing special. The fae mastered time travel long ago. They understand what humans are just starting to comprehend. Everything is energy, and once you translate the traveler into the right kind of energy, one can travel through time._

_Helena: I don't understand. We've tried time travel and so far we have been only modestly successful._

_MFD: Don't worry. You will when the time is right. Humans must first understand that time is not just a 'when' but also a 'where.' Once they understand that, everything will fall into place._

_Helena: What do you mean I have possible futures?_

_MFD: Remember what I told you about randomness. Quantum rule five – randomness is not truly random. We gravitate toward certain choices, and once we make more and more choices, our life takes a certain path. All my children can make choices that will lead them to glorious futures. I am going to do everything in my power to help lead them to the best choices._

_Helena: But won't some of us, or all of us, make bad choices?_

_MFD: Yes, but most bad choices are not fatal. They can be corrected. Every passing moment is a new opportunity to turn everything around._

_Helena: Where is Sonja Braga now?_

_MFD: Your mind jumps from subject to subject, doesn't it? Sonja now lives and works at the European Union Vampire Authority, or EUVA, which is headquartered in Paris, France. She has many roles, including cultural attaché' and, of all things, she is a vampire psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder._

_Helena: PTSD? In vampires?_

_MFD: Yes, why does that surprise you? You, of course, are an exception, but vampires are made through death. Death is often unpleasant and traumatic. It should therefore not be surprising that vampires carry a lot of trauma from their human lives, their human deaths, or both. And actually, living as a vampire can be extremely stressful, as well._

_Helena: Do vampires acquire new powers as they age? Quinn … the military gave him some drug that stopped his aging at around twenty-five. After he turned immortal, he was able to fly. Before that, he couldn't._

_MFD: Yes, the ability to fly generally happens when a vampire turns around 400 years old, but it varies. It is said that very old vampires, those over 5,000 years old, develop other abilities, such as the ability to read the thoughts of others, including other vampires. It is also said that some really old vampires become shifters and develop wings, or that their blood becomes so powerful that it fills their eyes, turning them red. I have never met a vampire with these characteristics._

_Helena: What about Sonja Braga?_

_MFD: She has the ability to read thoughts. This was partly the reason why she chose to do psychiatry. She knows most of her patients' secrets, even the ones they hide from themselves. If she has other abilities, she did not reveal them to me. Age is power in the vampire world. I have heard that extremely old vampires often hide their age-enhanced abilities and special gifts, as a deterrent against attack._

_Helena: What do you mean?_

_MFD: Suppose a 6,000 year old vampire wants to attack another very old vampire, to exact revenge, or gain an advantage, or pressure him into some kind of an alliance, or simply for sport. He doesn't know how old the other vampire is, so he looks for clues in that vampire's abilities. He knows that vampires over 7,000 years old have wings. If I were that second vampire, I might hide the fact that I have wings. If the first vampire attacks me, not only will I easily defeat him, but I will send a message to other vampires that they should not attack me. Maybe I have hidden abilities. Maybe I am older and more powerful than I appear to be._

_Helena: The vampire world sounds like it has more intrigue than my military world._

_MFD: Ironically, it does. This is why it is stressful. Every vampire eventually learns that he has to be political, whether he wants to or not._

_Helena: What do you long for the most?_

_MFD: I long for three things, but really they are one and the same. I long for my children's happiness. I long to see Naill again, and I long to see the sun._

_Helena's heart raced and she cried._

_Helena: But you can't see the sun unless you die. Please don't do that. If you can see the future, why can't you stop whatever is going to happen?_

_MFD: I don't want to stop it. I want to see the sun. I want to burn._

_Helena: Why would you say that? Why do you want to leave me? Us? Your children?_

_MFD: I do not want to leave you, and I don't believe I am going to leave you. Everything is energy. I will transform from one kind of energy into another. I will always be with you._

_Helena: Not like this. I won't be able to hold you or dance with you._

_MFD: Perhaps. Perhaps not. We will have something different together. Not worse or better, but different. This time, right now, relish it. My child, do not cry when it is over. Smile because it happened._

_Helena: Then at least explain to me why you are doing this?_

_MFD: The war that I told you about. It's coming, and it will be waged in this world. You cannot see it yet, but the same factions are aligning themselves, preparing to repeat the same mistakes that have repeatedly caused so much bloodshed. This goes back thousands and thousands of years._

_Naill and Sonja Braga believe that we can prevent this war. I believe I can play a role in that. If this war happens, my children won't have a future._

_I also long for the chance to atone for my sins. Nothing so momentous can be achieved without a cost. Cassandra of Troy gave her human blood to this cause. Naill gave his fairy blood to this cause. And I will give my vampire blood to this cause._

_Perhaps the maenad in you can understand this. Martin Luther King, a human I greatly admire, said that if a man finds nothing worth dying for, then his life is not worth living. After living so many centuries just to kill, I've finally found something worth dying for. Let me make my life worth living. Let me die._

_Helena cried, but now she understood him, and she made up her mind to accept her father's destiny._

_Helena: Why tell me this? Why not leave me in peace? It would be better if I had never known you._

_MFD: You don't mean that. And … I am selfish. I need you to help me. I cannot do this alone._

_Helena: Need me for what?_

_MFD: This war has always had three factions fighting on their own behalf – vampires, fairies and humans. But this time, for the first time ever, this war will transform from a three-sided war into a two-sided war. And it will be a civil war._

_On one side will be vampires, fairies and humans who want to continue the blood shed and their old way of doing things. They will fight for their political agendas and their false superiority._

_And on the other side will be those vampires, fairies and humans who want peace. They are the ones who say 'enough.' They want to intermingle, to marry, to love who they want. They want no more separation. They understand that everything is the same and everything is connected._

_This will be a civil war because not only will vampire be fighting vampire, human fighting human, fairy fighting fairy; but members of the same family will be fighting each other. Members of our own family will be on opposite sides of this war, at least for a time. I need you to help me save those in our family on the wrong side, the ones who choose to go left, when they should have gone right._

_Helena: How can I do that? I can't._

_MFD: You can, and you will. Today, you have proven yourself to be the strongest member of this family. I am stronger than all of my children, except you. You are stronger than me. Together we can do this. I need you entirely on my side. I need you to believe._

_Helena felt afraid and overwhelmed. The Man From Dallas sat up and held her away from his body so that he could see her eyes._

_MFD: I know you are afraid, child. I feel you. You are a great warrior, Helena. Since I was a young child, I have always loved armies. Fighting, at its highest level, looks like dancing. It is a work of art. You, Helena, dance when you fight._

_All of my children are great warriors. You, M and Quinn helped win one of the greatest wars this planet has ever known. Eric is a Viking warrior so great I could not bear to see him die. Nora is a Chancellor of the Authority, but before that her inspiration was Joan of Arc, and she channeled her magnificently in battle._

_Helena: And Pamela? Is she a warrior, too?_

_MFD: I have seen Pamela's future. Pamela is going to be the hero of this war. You will understand why later. She is going to be the key to our side winning this war, to saving our entire family, and the world. But first she is going to have to grow, a lot. _

_Pamela has lived most of her life listening to those voices in her head that tell her to go left. She is going to have to learn to go outside her comfort zone, to rebel against her every instinct. She is going to need to learn to go right, and she is going to need you to help her do that. She is going to need her Aunt Helena. The two of you are most alike. She will come to trust you._

_Helena: What about her Aunt Nora?_

_MFD: You have studied both Pamela and Nora for years. You know they have never met. Pamela doesn't even know of Nora's existence. Based on what you know, how will Pamela and Nora react when they finally come together as a family?_

_Helena: They will resent each other over Eric's affections. At first they will hate each other. Really hate each other. But I believe they will grow to love each other._

_MFD: I love that you are an optimist, Helena. But this war cannot wait that long. I need you to be the confidante that Pamela can rely on. Pamela will come to trust you because she will not see you as a competitor. _

_But you cannot tell her who you are. She cannot know who you are until the time is right, until I tell her. Pamela has to do the work of changing herself. You cannot do it for her. You can only support her._

_This plan has to proceed in a certain way. Things have to happen in a certain order. I need you to trust me. I need you to work with me to build this._

_Helena: What are you building?_

_MFD: A mystery._

_Helena: What kind of mystery._

_MFD: A mystery of life._

_Helena: But … What you ask is impossible. I have no experience helping beautiful, blonde damsels in distress with major anger issues. 'Pamela, trust me to help you. Oh, and by the way, I cannot tell you exactly how or why I am helping you.' I don't know how to do that._

_MFD: Trust me, Helena. By the time Pamela needs you, you will have had all the necessary practice you will ever need. You will know what to say and what not to say. Dealing with Pamela will be easy for you._

_Helena: Give me something I can say. Why is Pamela the key to winning this war?_

_MFD: Because of all my children, she is the most like I am now. She already is what it took me two thousand years to evolve into. When you look at her, see her. Really see her. Of all my children, she is the one with eyes most like mine. Look into her eyes and see her soul._

_You understand her already Helena. You know that what she shows on the surface has nothing to do with who she really is in her soul._

_Helena: Pamela doesn't believe she has a soul._

_MFD: Yes, and sadly some of that is my fault. I taught this to Eric, who in turn taught this to her. Pamela has a soul, and it is pure and good. She will not want to accept this, because it will mean removing layers and layers of masks and other protections that she has spent more than a century creating. She is going to have to awaken a person inside of herself that she believes died a long time ago. But you will help her to do that, Helena._

_Pamela is like the quantum world. On the outside she appears to be a desolate, abandoned house; but that crumbling edifice conceals the Taj Mahal._

_Helena abruptly ceased her rapid questioning of her father. She stood up and paced the room. This all felt so surreal. Her time in this place was grand, otherworldly. But it was too much and was wearing long. She was exhausted from mental overload. She paced the floor, and her father watched her prowl in front of him like a wolf._

_Helena asked, "You are our vampire father. Do you know the other sources?" She was hopeful, but not expectant. Why would this vampire know anything about the source of the maenad, fairy, wolf and android blood running through her veins? To her surprise, he knew quite a lot._

_Her father answered, "The android was an organic alien species whose craft crashed to earth in the late 1800's. He was one of several such beings. The others died instantly or soon after the crash. Only he survived. They extracted its DNA and used it to make your android component._

_The maenad was a creature discovered during a time travel experiment. She was exceptionally powerful and easily evaded the military scientists. They traveled through multiple time periods pursuing her. They hypnotized the maenad into believing it was meeting its god, distracting it for only twenty-three seconds before it broke out of the spell. They took all the blood they could collect in those few seconds, and gave the bulk of it to you._

_The wolf was a spy working for vampires and the German army during World War I. It was captured by the U.S. military. They tortured it for years, trying to force it to give up its secrets. It withstood every torture, and ultimately told them nothing of value. They took its blood. They planned to take more of it, but it died during a torture session. They used all of its blood on you and M. They could not find a comparably strong wolf for Quinn, which is why they used Weretiger blood to create the Were bond between you and your son._

_Helena interjected, "That's good to know. M and I thought that our human creators just had a twisted sense of humor, giving two wolves a tiger to bond with and parent."_

_Her father replied, "No, although they certainly were aware of the challenges this would give you. Canines and felines are different, but not necessarily irreconcilable. You and your son will have a stronger relationship because of your challenges, not despite them._

_You should know that the Were genes given to Quinn are beyond exceptional. The Weretiger donor was an unusually large and rare specimen. It died of old age and showed almost no battle scars. Dr. McFadden claimed this evidenced how powerful it was. It's old age and scar-free condition meant that despite its long life, this Weretiger had never met an opponent of equal caliber. It protected its territories though battles that were all easily won."_

_Helena asked, "And the fairy blood?"_

_The Man From Dallas remained silent._

_Helena persisted, "Father, where did the fairy blood come from? I know you know."_

_Her father sat contemplating._

_Helena thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "Naill! It was Naill's blood wasn't it?"_

_Her father reluctantly agreed, "Yes, it was. That is why he could never speak to you. He would get too excited. He wasn't good with keeping secrets. I worried that he would reveal who he was. He almost did that day we saw you in Washington, D.C._

_Naill was like me in that we both felt great remorse over the atrocities we've committed. We both believe in trying to prevent this war. But we are very different in most other respects. He was light. I am darkness. I was always a bit too pensive. He was always a bit too …"_

_Helena finished, "Giddy?"_

_Her father nodded, "Yes, I suppose that's the perfect word."_

_Helena mused out loud, "So I have two fathers."_

_The Man From Dallas replied, "Yes, the other parts of you were nonconsenting donors, but Naill and I both wanted you, very much. We both wanted our blood to be a part of you. We wanted you to be ours, together. We are your parents. We are your fathers."_

_Helena smiled at this. She thought for a moment, the asked, "Did you have something to do with why Dr. McFadden released us? Why he gave us the VA Project after the war?"_

_Her father answered, "Yes and no. Naill and I continually stayed in contact with him. We did what we could to ensure your safety. But most of what was done for you was Dr. McFadden's idea. He started out thinking of the three of you as a project of the United States government, but with time he came to love you. I think he loved you as his own children. He made the necessary appeals to give you your independence. He got help from some great war heroes, as well. They vouched for your service to your country. This went a long way on your behalf._

_The only thing Dr. McFadden couldn't do was change the protocol and directives that govern the android part of you. Too many powerful humans protested the idea of supernaturals having that much power. The protocol and directives were a concession to appease them."_

_Helena interjected, "But very few people if any at this point know about the protocol and directives. Those records were destroyed in a fire. And … both my fathers were conveniently in the city where that fire occurred at exactly the same time. Am I to believe that was a random act of god? A coincidence?"_

_The Man From Dallas smiled slyly. "As I told you, randomness is almost never random, and very few things are coincidences. Sometimes god helps those who help themselves."_

**# # # # #**

_Helena and her father stood on the roof of a building about one mile from a Dallas, Texas military facility. It was the only Army teleportation station in Dallas. Helena was reluctant to leave, but in 2009 teleport station technology was in its infancy. Dallas only had one teleport station, and it closed after midnight for quality control checks and testing. She had to leave if she wanted to return home that night._

_Helena knew there was no way she could stay any longer. She was already going to be returning to hell as it was. She felt a complex array of emotions, mostly positive, about her whirlwind time with the Man From Dallas, the vampire she now knew to be her father. She did not know how it was possible, but in the short period of time Helena and the vampire sheriff had spent together, she felt as if she had known him her entire life._

_How could she come to trust him so completely? In her heart it made perfect sense. It made sense to every part of her, even her wolfen self and android brain. She worried how she would explain her time with her father to M and Afrida._

_Helena also felt a great sadness for her husband. M loved his country and the United States military, but his human creators were selfish in what they did to him. M longed for an emotional connection and capability that was deliberately stripped out of him. He needed, probably more than Helena, to know his father and to bond with him. She felt guilty for having this time with their father without M._

_The Man From Dallas felt his daughter's anxiety and sadness through their bond. "Is this about M?" he asked._

_Helena nodded._

_Her father assuaged her fears, promising, "M is very strong, almost as strong as you. He, and Quinn, are going to get everything they desire. Their will is going to fight through every obstacle placed in their way. I know this. There is something very special in store for M._

_And Quinn, he will likely be more powerful than you, if you can believe that is possible. The only thing you will have over him is wisdom, but that is a lot."_

_Helena shook her head, "You speak as if I can do so much. So why do I feel so powerless? Why can't I keep you with me, at least for a little while?"_

_Her father explained, "Because god is calling me. That is the only thing more powerful than you."_

_Helena laughed, totally disbelieving what she was hearing._

_Her father gazed into her eyes and intently said, "You disbelieve me, Helena? After all that you've learned._

_Think about what I have told you about the blood that runs through your veins. Your android was the last of his kind to die after major injuries in a crash. Your wolf was so ferocious and strong that the Army searched and searched for another remotely like it, and failed. Your maenad was so tenacious and dangerous that she could only be slowed for a few seconds. Your vampire blood comes from me. I could feign modesty, but … well…"_

_At this, Helena genuinely laughed._

_Her father concluded, "And your fairy blood comes from a full-fledged immortal fairy prince. Your fairy father is one of the first and oldest sentient beings to come into existence. Shortly after the god universe imagined itself into existence, your fairy father imagined himself and was born. The only thing older than him is god._

_This is what you are made of, Helena. You are close to perfection, just short of being a god, or I should say, a goddess. The only entity more perfect or more powerful is a god … or a goddess. I've battled you, Helena. If a god … or a goddess, fell from the heavens and did battle with you, it would be like the story in the human bible of Jacob wrestling with God. The goddess might hold you to a draw, maybe hurt you a bit. But she won't win."_

_Helena sensed something odd coming from the bond. Her father was … pleased with himself. She had learned, in their short time together, that he felt this way when he was making a joke that especially amused him._

_At the time, Helena could not understand why the idea of her battling and holding her own against a fallen goddess made her father so mirthful, so she left it alone. She had more pressing matters at hand, like taking in these last moments with her father into her memories before she said goodbye._

_"I never made it to the Fellowship of the Sun," Helena lamented. "That's going to be fun to explain to M."_

_Her father said, "It is good that you didn't go there. You can certainly hold your own against anyone, but you would have learned nothing important. And they would have attacked you."_

_Helena asked, "How are you so sure?"_

_"Because they are planning to kidnap me and make an example of me. They are going to burn me in the sun in front of their entire congregation." her father said this calmly, as if it was no big deal._

_Helena was shocked. She shook her head violently. "No, no, no, no. They will not use you for sport. I accepted your wish to see the sun on your own terms, but I cannot allow this. I will …"_

_Her father sternly interjected, "As your maker, I command you not to intervene in any way, directly or indirectly, to prevent the Fellowship of the Sun from taking me or killing me. I also command you not to communicate, directly or indirectly, with Eric, Nora, or Pamela until Lilith reveals herself and chooses a host."_

_Helena cried, resenting the command, "Whyyyy? What does that even mean?"_

_Her father told her, "When the time comes you will know. You have to trust me."_

_Helena's eyes widened, "But Eric, Nora and Pamela will think you committed suicide. They'll be heartbroken. How is your secrecy fair to them?"_

_"It isn't," her father replied. "But life is not fair. It is, however, interconnected. And everything that's meant to happen, does. If you told my children what you believe about me, they would resent and attack you. They aren't ready to hear it._

_I can speak to you now only because you came to me. You came because you were ready to hear me."_

_Helena asked, not wanting to know, but needing to know the answer, "When? When will they take you to meet the sun?"_

_Her father answered, "Within the next three days."_

_Helena wept. Her father held her and whispered in her ear, "Feel what I feel, Helena. I don't fear the reaper, Helena. And neither should you. The reaper simply transforms us from one form of energy into another form of energy."_

_Her father held her until she calmed down. He held her until the same peace flowed from Helena into him. Helena was pulled out of her thoughts by her phone buzzing. She checked her text message. "I have thirty minutes to get my teleport to New York."_

_Her father reached into a bag that was hanging from his shoulder. "I have two more gifts for you."_

_Helena watched as her father gave her an over-sized, off-white envelope. It looked ancient, and it was sealed with a gold stamp pressed against the back flap._

_Her father said, "This is the contract which gives me the right to Naill's human/fairy hybrid descendant, the first fae bearing female. When the time comes, this contract will be presented to the fae leadership and enforced. As my daughter and a member of my family line, this contract belongs to you as much as me. It belongs to our entire family. I am leaving it with you for safekeeping. The duplicate contract is being held by the human family that must satisfy its terms._

_Helena took the contract and placed it in her briefcase. She inserted it in between pages of the vampire bible that her father had given her the day before. She asked, "Has this fae bearing female been born?"_

_Her father replied, "Yes."_

_Helena's eyes widened in surprise, because she expected him to say 'no.' She asked, "When? Who is she?"_

_Her father shook his head. "I cannot tell you yet. I will only say that she was born in 1983 in the United States. Also, as your maker, I command you not to open this letter and read this contract until you hear my name, the name that is used in this contract, WARlow, come from the lips of another."_

_Helena fumed on the inside. She was growing tired of her father and his maker commands. "Why can't I read the contract? Why do I have to wait?"_

_Her father calmly explained, "If you read the contract, the last name of the grantor will tell you the identity of the fae bearing female. It is not time for that to be revealed yet. I love you, Helena. I really don't wish to deny you anything, but this plan is bigger than you or my family._

_This plan is bigger than this entire Planet Earth. This plan is about the universe itself. And this fae bearing female is too important. She is our only chance to reconcile the warring parties and stop this war. The more people who know about her, the more danger she will be in. Can you understand that? Can you trust me that you will know everything when the time comes?"_

_Helena wasn't happy about not knowing, but she nodded in acceptance. She had a thought, which excited her. "Wait. Naill is my father. The woman who is the subject of this contract is his descendant. That means that she's my family, too. This human/fae hybrid family is also my family?"_

_Helena's father smiled. "Yes. The fae bearing female who fulfills this contract is Naill's, great grand-daughter. She is your great-niece. You are also related to Naill's full fairy descendants, who live in Faery."_

_Helena frowned, thinking about the fae bearing female who she now knew to be her family. "I hope that your plan can be accomplished in such a way that the woman who has to fulfill this contract isn't … that she doesn't meet the same fate as some of the other women who bore hybrid children. She is my family and … if it's in my power, I won't allow her to be assaulted."_

_Helena's father understood her worry and shook his head. "Naill did not condone rape. Nor would I ever endorse such depravity." He smiled wide and said, "Don't worry, Helena. I am quite optimistic that this particular fae bearing female will want to willingly procreate with our family."_

_Helena wanted to question more, but she knew her father wouldn't tell her. She guessed that he meant that the fae bearing female was or would become sexually attracted to one of his family line._

_Helena changed the subject. She knew she had almost no time left with her father, and she tried desperately to think of everything she wanted to know. "When will this war start? How much time do we have?"_

_Her father said, "Both sides are planning as we speak, but this planet will visibly change around the time Lilith chooses a host, someone to consume her blood and give her the ability to operate in this world. The vampires who worship her will act in support of her, probably openly killing humans. This, of course, will prompt a response from human governments, including ours."_

_Helena gasped, "That would lead to martial law."_

_"Yes," her father agreed. "Lilith will have a head start on us, I am afraid. Our side cannot implement our plan until all the parties are in place, and there are still two babies yet to be born."_

_Helena was confused. She asked, "What babies? To whom will they be born?"_

_Her father answered cryptically, "There will be two more baby vampires born into our family. They will not be hybrids, but rather full-fledged vampires, turned by my full vampire children."_

_"You mean turned the traditional way by Eric, Nora, Pamela … or Colin?" Helena asked._

_"Yes," her father said. "After these two baby vampires are born, everything will be in place for our side to try and stop the war. I will have all my children, finally."_

_"Can you tell me by what time these two baby vampires will be born?" Helena asked._

_Her father nodded. "By about two years from now, both new baby vampires will be born. And like all my other children, these two will be exceptionally strong and fierce vampires. They will honor my blood."_

_Helena checked her watch, which prompted her father to say, "And here is the second gift."_

_He reached in his bag and handed Helena two vials of blood. "This is my blood, one for M and one for Quinn. When I transform, I will not be able to share flesh with them, or my blood. However, I believe that we, or you, will figure out another way to give them the connection with me that you and I now share._

_Soon, when the doorways open between this world and others, including the world I am going to, I will be able to speak with all nine of my children through my blood. And all my future children."_

_"Future children?" Helena asked._

_Her father said, "If our plan is successful, our family's blood line will go forth into endless future generations, through both vampiric procreation and hybridization."_

_Helena took the blood and put it in her briefcase._

_Her father frowned and said, "Helena, remember how you felt when you beat me in our sparring match? You felt confident and happy and strong; and defeating me gave you a chance to show your father compassion?"_

_Helena looked at her father, wondering where he was going with this. She said, "Yes."_

_He implored, "When the time comes, remember what your father gave to you and give your son that same chance. And if you fail in the moment and hurt him, swallow your pride and make it right."_

_Helena protested, "I would never hurt my son. I love him, more than anything, even myself."_

_Her father explained, "Remember this about your son, Helena. It will make sense to you when the time comes. Every loving parent wants their child to be better than them. But as much as we want that, it frightens us. Our every instinct is to reject that superiority in our children. But you have to resist your instincts, Helena; and let your son exceed you. He will love you if you do, and hate you if you don't. When Quinn resists your authority, he is simply doing what every child must do to become an adult. Make sure your response to his resistance is guided by what is best for your son, and not about yourself."_

_Helena was visibly agitated now. "I don't understand what you are saying. I would never intentionally hurt …"_

_Her father interjected, "No loving parent ever intends to hurt their child. But they make mistakes. Or, like me, they think at one time that they're helping their children and later they realize they were really hurting them. If you realize that you've hurt your son, remember that it's not too late. But you'll have to swallow your pride and work to turn it all around. Promise me you'll do that."_

_Helena's father stared intently at her. She didn't like this conversation, but felt it was easier to relent. She said, "I promise."_

_But her father persisted, "Say that you will swallow your pride."_

_Helena started to protest, but she knew her time was almost up, so she simply gave in. "I promise, I'll swallow my pride."_

_Helena's father reached into her briefcase and pulled out the vampire bible he had given her. He turned to the first page and said, "When you read this, think of it as a book on military strategy. Learn the opposition. Don't believe what you read, but understand that those you will be struggling against in this war do believe it."_

_Helena nodded. She looked down at the page her father was holding open. There was a handwritten note that read, "Always struggle to go right. Love. Your Father, Godric."_

_Helena smiled solemnly, "This name … It's appropriate. But why this one? I want to hear it from you."_

_Her father mused, "Of all the names I've given you over the years, this is the one I claim. It is my human birth name. It means 'power of God.' It also means, 'to rule with God.' When I was turned into a vampire, I thought whatever god there was had some kind of cruel sense of humor. Now I have hope that the true God wanted to tell me through my name that it's been waiting for me all this time. Waiting for me to remember that we are connected, separated but never severed. After all the evil that I've done, I have a chance to live up to my name. In this I see God."_

_Helena whispered again, "It's appropriate."_

_Helena got another text message. She whimpered, "I have to go."_

_She stood still and her father pulled her into his embrace. Helena asked, "You promise that we'll be together again?"_

_Her father replied, "We will be together again. Soon. And when we are, I will never again be separated from you. This I promise you."_

_Godric kissed and held his daughter close, whispering into her ear the last advice he could think to give, "Never doubt what you know in your heart. Remember what I taught you about the five quantum truths. If you need to do so for your family, swallow your pride. They won't look down on you for it. They will love you that much more. Understand that sometimes the most effective way to fight, is not to fight at all. When you are ready, quiet yourself and reconnect our bond. Search for me in another world. I will search for you. Together we will find each other."_

_Helena held her father as tight as she could and whispered, "I love you, Father."_

_Godric grasped Helena just as tightly as he answered, "I love you, Daughter."_

* * *

_If you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream  
And for a fraction of a second you can't remember where you are  
Just open your window and follow your memory upstream  
To the meadow in the mountain where we counted every falling star_

_I believe a light that shines on you will shine on you forever  
And though I can't guarantee there's nothing scary hiding under your bed  
I'm gonna stand guard like a postcard of a Golden Retriever  
And never leave 'til I leave you with a sweet dream in your head_

_Trust your intuition, it's just like goin' fishin'  
You cast your line and hope you get a bite  
But you don't need to waste your time  
Worryin' about the market place  
Try to help the human race struggling to survive its harshest night_

_I'm gonna watch you shine  
Gonna watch you grow  
Gonna paint a sign  
So you'll always know  
As long as one and one is two  
There could never be a father  
Who loved his daughter more than I love you_

**Ending Scene Song: _Father and Daughter _by Paul Simon**

**Credits Song:_ Planet Earth _by Duran Duran**

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies quoted in this chapter include _Blade Runner,_ _Frankenstein (1994)_, _Star Trek, Shall We Dance, The Matrix, Star Wars, Grease, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, Silence of the Lambs, and American Beauty. _The quote about people wanting a soul mate to have someone to witness their lives comes from _Shall We Dance_, starring Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.

_(2) _The saying, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened," has been attributed to both Dr. Seuss and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

(3) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Father and Daughter_ by Paul Simon _and Planet Earth by Duran Duran_.

(4) The debate between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr about quantum physics has been called the most significant scientific debate of the Twentieth Century. Quantum physics is interesting not only for its scientific implications, but also for its spiritual implications. It also is interesting that Einstein approached this debate as a believer, while Bohr was an agnostic. For those of you, if any, who are interested in knowing more about quantum physics, I recommend the following for a basic understanding of the science of quantum physics: _Introducing Quantum Theory: A Graphic Guide to Science's Most Puzzling Discovery (2003)_ by J.P. McEvoy, _Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel (2009)_ by Michio Kaku; and _Quantum Physics for Poets (2011)_ by Leon Lederman and Christopher Hill.

I recommend the following for a basic discussion of some views on the spiritual implications of quantum physics: _The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism (2010)_ by Fritjof Capra_; God is Not Dead: What Quantum Physics Tells Us About our Origins and How We Should Live (2012)_ and _The Self-Aware Universe (1995), _both by Amit Goswami; and _The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena (2009)_ by Dean Radin. I don't espouse any particular view, but I find the subject matter fascinating and thought provoking.

(5) For fun, **Google: nist quantum cat state_. _**The first article describes how, in 2005, scientists at the United States Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) used quantum physics to coax six atoms to spin in opposite directions at the same time. Click on the simulation on the right side of the page to see the spinning atoms going in both directions at the same time. This is the reality that exists in the quantum world.

(6) Cassandra of Troy, according to Greek mythology, was a princess of Troy. Daughter of Prium and Hecuba, she was a gifted prophetess, who some regarded as a witch. She was extremely beautiful, so much so that she attracted the (unwanted) attentions of Apollo. Apollo attempted to force himself on her, and he cursed her when she rejected him. Apollo's curse meant that no one would believe Cassandra's prophecies, although they were in fact true. Cassandra tried to warn the Trojans about the Trojan Horse, but because of Apollo's curse, no one believed her, and well … we know how the war ended. It is indeed a small world. I am guessing that Cassandra of Troy probably knows, or at least ran into, Aphrodite, since the goddess directly intervened in the war in support of Troy. We shall see.

(7) I obviously don't know what the True Blood writers have in store for us in Season 6 regarding WARlow's character, but I find it interesting that WARlow is a Celtic name. Godric is a Briton name, which also is treated by many sources as Celtic, so the possibility of Godric having a connection to WARlow is consistent within the True Blood universe.

(8) Genealogies, especially fae genealogies, are very important in the True Blood universe. Godric's family line also is shaping up to be quite glorious. Isn't it neat that Helena is Tara's great-aunt on her father Godric's side and Sookie's great-aunt on her father Naill's side? Looks like the Godric family line and the Stackhouse family line are going to be permanently interconnected. I don't know much about this situation, except that one Pamela Swynford de Beaufort is going to be really pissed.


	9. TTC 1 - Family Strife Affects Quinn

**Chapter 9: Planet Earth **

**Subtitle: Time To Change, Part 1**

(Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn)

**_Author's Notes:_**

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

(1) Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

(2) This chapter is entitled _Time To Change_. It became very long. LOL. In keeping with the theme of this chapter, I decided to do things a little differently. Rather than giving you all an incredibly long chapter to read all at once, I've broken this chapter up into three parts that are easier to digest. Don't be disappointed, as each of the three parts of this chapter has over 10,000 words. I did not feel as strongly about the continuity of this chapter as I did about Chapter 8, "Man From Dallas" chapter. I am also cognizant that I am releasing this in the middle of the work week, and I don't want to tempt you to stay up too late reading, which is what I would do. LOL.

(3) Several readers have commented that they are fascinated about various aspects of the marriage of three involving Helena, Afrida and M. Some find it hilarious that the characters are part of an active threesome and it's a non-issue in the story. Others observed that the depiction of Helena and M's sexual lives seems to conflict with the stereotype about wolves being extremely exclusive and monogamous for life.

I don't see Helena and M as exclusively wolves; and thus they would not necessarily tend exclusively toward a type of wolfen monogamy. In some sense Helena and M do identify strongly with the wolfen aspect of themselves and have adopted a partially wolfen concept of monogamy for their marriage. However, both Helena and M are comprised of four other supernatural components. Their fairy, vampire and maenad aspects are in a sense in direct conflict with their wolfen natures; and life for them is a constant struggle to balance these conflicting natures.

We know that vampires can have multiple partners. Regarding fairies, in Season 4, Episode 9, fairy Sookie has a blood induced dream in which she decides that she loves both Eric and Bill and wants them both in a sexual and romantic threesome relationship. And Season 2's maenad Maryann Forrester was naturally libidinous, and drove those around her into a similar state.

Incidentally, according to True Blood Wiki, Maryann was born in 10,000 B.C. during the Astrological Age of Leo. In this story, I treat as fact a theory of Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval that posits that the Egyptian pyramids record, in both their geometry and placement on the ground, the time of their construction, which is approximately 10,500 B.C. An inscription on the Great Pyramids, "Zep Tepi," which means the First Time, celebrates an ancient "Golden Age," in which the gods and goddesses literally communed on Planet Earth with humans and other supernatural creatures. A maenad would have been in nirvana during this time, because she would not be waiting for the god who comes, but actually communing daily with her god.

In later parts of this chapter, we will find that Helena and M engage in other sexual behaviors that initially seem inconsistent with their wolfen personalities. But these behaviors are not at all in conflict with their vampire, fairy or maenad apects. At the end of the day, Helena, M and Quinn are complex creatures who have to struggle with forming a cohesive, stable identity that is comprised of aspects that sometimes make them engage in seemingly conflicting actions. Perhaps it is more accurate to say they engage in consistent actions that for a time emphasize one aspect of who they are over other aspects, which causes them angst. Sometimes they "go off the reservation," so to speak, and then have to find their way back to a more calibrated version of self. They're kind of human that way.

As just one illustration, Helena's decision to share flesh with the Man From Dallas was totally consistent with her maenad self. Perhaps her inner maenad lays dormant most of the time, allowing her inner wolf or other aspects to control. Thus, her day-to-day existence becomes largely a manifestation of these dominant aspects. But when a situation comes along that's just too good to pass up, her inner maenad insists on being the driving force in that moment. Helena allowed, for one night, her maenad self to take the lead in crafting her decisions. While not inconsistent with who she is, this one maenad-driven decision will have serious consequences for her because she has an entire life that has been for the most part constructed by her other non-maenad aspects.

Finally, Helena and M's wife isn't just anyone. She is Aphrodite, after all. If anyone can expand the mind of a normally monogamous couple into actualizing other conceptualizations of fidelity, it would be the Goddess of Love.

(4) Regarding the day to day "work," rules, and boundary setting that goes into making a "poly" relationship work, I was generally inspired by Nina Hartley, a self-described pornography actress, filmmaker, sex educator, feminist and author.

(I used other marital rules learned from my friends and family members who are part of successful two-person marriages. For example, the "crazy" rule is a rule that operates in the marriage of one of my best college friends. I just modified it for three spouses instead of two. My friend and her husband often joke that their marriage is successful because they decided long ago that only one of them can be crazy at a time. If they both start acting crazy, then one of them has to make the decision to stay sane and reel the other one in. They even have tie-breaker rules – _You were the crazy one last time so this time it's me. _LOL).

Nina Hartley describes herself as bisexual and polyamorous. She is well-known for, in addition to her films and workshops, being one of the few (famous) people to successfully live in polyamorous relationships. HBO has featured Nina Hartley in at least two documentaries/interviews, including a 2004 film entitled _Thinking XXX. _HBO also interviewed Hartley about her relationships in its _Real Sex_ series. Nina Hartley's views on polyamory are much more fluid and open than what I depict among Helena, Afrida and M. If you are interested in learning more about Hartley, please please do not research at work. Almost any internet search you do will NOT be suitable for work, unless you happen to work in a very narrow subset of occupations, in which case you probably already know about her. J

(5) I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but I always love to read your thoughts and what resonated with you. It means a lot to me. So please leave me a note if you can.**

**_Manhattan, New York: Saturday, September 4, 2010_**

**_Helena and M Argue About Afrida and The Man From Dallas_**

M had asked Helena whether this sudden banishment of Afrida had anything to do with the Man From Dallas. The question had sent Helena's mind back in time.

Helena didn't realize how long she had allowed her thoughts to wander back to 2009 and her last encounter with the Man From Dallas. Nor did she realize that while in the midst of those thoughts she was crying uncontrollably. The crying was a sure sign for M of what Helena was thinking about, as the Man From Dallas was the only topic over which the alpha wolf shed so many incessant tears. It wasn't until Helena felt M's eyes shooting daggers into her that she snapped out of it.

M was sitting up in bed and glaring at her, although glaring didn't do justice to the assault of emerald green lasers that were now piercing straight into Helena's deep green pools. Helena noted, with more than a little apprehension, that her husband looked as if he was working hard to keep his hands off her. The alpha wolf was slightly stronger than M, so she had no fear of being physically hurt. But the emotional hurt she was feeling was an entirely different matter. While M had certainly put his hands on Helena roughly during the course of wolfen sex (and vampiric, maenad and fairy sex for that matter), he had done so out of anger only once.

Helena's mind momentarily flashed back to July 31, 2009, the Friday night she returned from Dallas, Texas. M had asked her about the Man From Dallas as soon as she walked in the door. She took a deep breath and started to tell him. Thankfully, Afrida had been at work finishing up paperwork on her own assignment.

The conversation with M abruptly ended when M surmised that Helena was telling him, albeit in beautified spiritual terms, that she had sex with the Vampire Sheriff of Dallas Area 9. M uncharacteristically responded to this shocking revelation by slamming Helena into their bedroom wall. The force from the back of her head spread a pattern of river-like cracks across the drywall and dislodged paintings from their mountings.

At present, lying in her bed in Manhattan, Helena was so intent on avoiding a possible lashing out from her husband that his voice startled her out of her thoughts. M growled, "I cannot believe what I'm seeing. We're supposed to be having a discussion about what is going on with our marriage, and you're lying here crying over your deceased paramour."

"He's not my paramour, MacArthur," Helena replied as she wiped away tears.

M sneered, "I don't really give a fuck how you label him, Helena. He shouldn't be what you're thinking about when you're supposed to be talking to me."

Helena lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She was trying to think, but she kept watching M out of the corner of her eye. How could she explain that, yes, this decision about Afrida was kind of about the Man From Dallas, in some larger philosophical or spiritual way?

Godric's words, his advice, were becoming clearer since she had learned Afrida's identity and what she must do to help her. Godric saw the future, and he must have known that this was going to happen with Afrida. But M wouldn't understand that unless he heard the whole story of her encounter with Godric, and to date he hadn't allowed her to tell it to him.

M's voice broke apart Helena's thoughts. "This _is_ about him, isn't it? _Your _vampire? Your Man From Dallas. I can see it. Fucking answer me!"

Helena wiped away more tears, knowing that crying wasn't helping her case with M. "It is and it isn't, MacArthur. It is in the sense that something has been changing, gradually changing for the past several decades. Call it a new astrological age. Call it a new era or planetary alignments. I don't care. The point is we are going through something, a doorway. We'll be different on the other side of that doorway.

The Man From Dallas believed that doorway was the key to his own evolution, and ours. Maybe that same impending doorway is the reason why Afrida came to us when she did."

M exclaimed, "Oh, for god's sake, Helena. Why can't you just fuck and enjoy it like everybody else? Why does every sexual encounter have to be some kind of spiritual experience for you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Helena asked, her voice rising.

M blurted out, "You know goddamn well what it means, Helena. It's really not complicated, as much as you might want it to be. You meet this vampire that you're supposed to be investigating, on government assignment no less. He charms you and you fuck him. You leave us all some bullshit text message about getting delayed. You were delayed, alright. Delayed by fucking!

Okay, I'm not here to judge, not you of all people, Helena. You're normally a measured person, perhaps more than any of us combined. We can all have a moment of adulterated … haha, impetuousness, including you. You're allowed, for god's sake. But it would have been nice if you had followed the rules and called me and/or Afrida and asked for permission. At least gave us fucking notice. Haha."

M laughed at his own inadvertent double entendres, then kept it moving. "But you didn't. It was a one night stand, so whatever. And the midget motherfucker is dead, sooo … Easy enough for us to get beyond if you would just call it what it was, Helena. But instead of calling it an affair, or a fuck up, literally … you call it spiritual enlightenment. And that, Helena, out of all of this bullshit, is what pisses me off the most!"

Helena stood and paced, "That's not what it was, MacArthur. It wasn't a one night stand, or an affair, or a fuck."

MacArthur rose and now stood across from Helena. He was clenching his fists and seething, a blue-green vein pulsing on the side of his neck. "So you wanted it to be more than that with this vampire? You wanted to move him in with us. Is that it? Is that why you were so broken up over his death after being with him for one fucking night? That must've been the fuck of the goddamn century!"

Helena interjected, "It wasn't fucking, MacArthur. I've repeatedly told you that. It's not how you're making it out to be."

M bitterly retorted, "Oh really, Helena? Then if it was this pure non-fucking experience, why didn't you call and say something, even if it amounted to _I'm doing something that looks a whole lot like fucking, but it's deep spiritual shit. You don't understand? Well, I'm doing this shit anyway. Just wanted you to know?_"

Helena practically screamed, "Jesus, MacArthur. I wish you would just listen to me."

M wasn't having any of it. "Listen to yourself, Helena. Oh for fuck's sake. You called me and Afrida in 1993 when all you wanted to do was grind a little and taste the blood of that three-quarters fairy bitch that smelled like whipped cream and caramel taffy. But you couldn't call about fucking … about taking an entire dick of some vampire sheriff you just met who you were supposed to be investigating?_"_

Helena replied, "If you had been there you would understand. I wanted you to meet him, MacArthur. I wish that you did."

M cut her off, "Well, I'm glad I didn't. While sex with a short, old, shamanistic vampire who looks like a boy and a heady infusion of 2000-year-old vampire blood might have felt really great physically, I'm glad not to carry the extra baggage you seem to have attached to the experience. I swear he must have seen you coming from a mile away. Did you wear a sign saying _maenad_ on your forehead?"

"You're not listening, MacArthur," Helena said, more than a little frustrated and exhausted.

M responded, equally frustrated. "On the contrary. I _am_ listening. I've been listening for years to the same thing over and over. It's that _you're_ not making sense, Helena. You fuck a complete stranger one time and it's a spiritual experience.

And now you don't want to fuck Afrida, who we've… been together with for decades … as a family … because of some other kind of spiritual experience. Which is it? Does your inner maenad tell you to fuck or not? I wish it would make up its goddamn mind!"

M paced now. Helena watched him. They weren't getting anywhere. Finally, Helena said, "Promise me you won't tell Afrida. She can't know about this."

M asked, "Which thing can't Afrida know about, Helena? The Man From Dallas, which _you _never told her about, in violation of a clear marital rule? Or that she's a goddess?"

Helena practically whispered, "That she's a goddess. She can't know."

M nodded emphatically, "Don't worry, Helena. What would I tell our wife? Shhhh. Afrida, you're a goddess, who has fallen from the heavens, but we can't have sex anymore. Because nobody wants to have sex with a goddess. Oh noooooo."

Helena yelled this time, truly angry at M and his sarcasm. She felt he wasn't even trying to listen to her. "This isn't about us, MacArthur. This is about Afrida!"

M yelled, "No, Helena. It's not. Afrida doesn't want this. She doesn't even understand what the fuck you're doing to us. And neither do I. So, no. This isn't about Afrida. It's about you. It's always about you, Helena.

Every time you get like this, everything in everybody else's life has to stop or be turned upside down, and it becomes all about you. But it's not entirely your fault, I suppose. You unfortunately have too much maenad blood running through your veins."

Helena asked, "What the fuck does that mean, MacArthur?"

M answered, resigned to what he thought was utter craziness, and the drama he knew was going to happen with Afrida. "I mean that because of your particular makeup, you will always have a need to seek the god who comes. I'm sorry to inform you of this, Helena. For the umpteenth time. The fucking god never comes."

**# # # # #**

Just outside his parent's closed bedroom door, Quinn stood listening intently to his parents argue. The shouting continued back and forth between them well into the wee hours of the morning. As his parent's yelling escalated, Quinn pressed his back to the wall and slid slowly down to the floor, his long legs spread out before him, making a letter _V _across the Brazilian cherry floors in the hallway.

Quinn's analytical mind normally buffered his emotional reactions to otherwise stressful situations, making them virtual non-issues; and, at most, just another phenomenon to be dispassionately examined. But to date those intellectual fortresses had almost exclusively been tested in work-related situations. Quinn had never had to deal with any kind of serious family strife, as most arguments among his three parents dissipated almost as quickly as they developed.

Having three parents had its advantages. Helena, M and Afrida had developed several spousal and family rules over their many years together to address various family situations, including conflicts. One of those conflict-related rules was "no more than one spouse can be crazy at the same time."

In practice, this particular rule meant that the threesome had to quickly assess which one of them had just gone temporarily off the deep end regarding a matter. That spouse was the crazy one. This assessment then prompted the other two spouses, no matter how angry, to "suck up their individual shit" and work as a team to bring the third spouse in off the ledge. Once said crazy ass spouse was off that ledge, all three spouses could come together and provide an opportunity for the two sane spouses to debrief, vent their frustrations, and say their peace.

Quinn could recall a few cases where one or the other of his parents had qualified as going off the deep end. But in his memory, which was beyond excellent, these situations lasted no more than a couple of days. They ended predictably, with debriefing taking place over dinner and venting of frustrations usually taking place in bed. His parents saying their peace mostly consisted of moaning during intense, prolonged make-up sex. This, Quinn didn't mind at all, since it usually translated into a memorable family day soon thereafter, consummated with him getting some special treat or unexpected gift.

Quinn had started off thinking that this was an unusually prolonged trip off the deep end for Helena, which meant he was eventually going to get a really incredible gift. His mind fleetingly contemplated the genuine possibility of motorcycles and jackets from his current favorite GEICO commercial for his upcoming birthday. But as the days of arguing and stressful silences wore on, this rift among his parents started to look like something … ominous. Ominous and downright frightening.

In Quinn's almost seventy-four year memory, this was the first time that there had ever been such prolonged discord in his household. Since literally falling into Quinn's life, Afrida had never been away from him this long, except on one or two occasions related to work; and even during those times he could communicate with her via telephone.

Quinn willed his android mind to bail him out, as it always had without fail. But this time his intellect was coming up with nothing helpful, except that maybe this was all somehow his fault. Quinn didn't notice it, but his body started helping out his mind by rocking him back and forth and drawing his knees up close to his chest. His back rhythmically moved away from, then gently banged against the wall. His intense emerald eyes, normally so focused and serene, darted frantically back and forth.

Suddenly, Quinn felt his eyes filling with … tears; and his heart started racing. His android mind panicked because, without his mother's help, he didn't know how to control either his tears or his heart. He tried breathing. _What was it that his mother told him to do? Think of waves? An ocean?_ He couldn't remember. He needed his mother. His mother had always been there on the rare occasions when he required help with a disturbing emotion. But right now, his mother wasn't feeling him, as she always did. She was too busy screaming at his father.

For Quinn, what was most terrifying about all of this – the sudden absence of Afrida, the ongoing and escalating arguments between M and Helena, the drastic change in routines that normally worked with clockwork precision – was the new and totally unfamiliar feeling that no one, not a single one of his three parents, was _seeing _him.

Quinn felt … invisible, a condition he had to date never known. There was a period of time, after Quinn watched the movie _Invisible Man_, that he thought it might be fun to roam places without anyone detecting him. In this very moment, sitting outside his parents' bedroom anxiously waiting for his mother to come rushing to him as she always did when he was in trouble, he suddenly realized that being invisible wasn't a good thing at all.

Quinn clinched his fists, then hit either side of his head. In his mind, his fists didn't feel like fists. The strikes weren't painful, but instead felt like hard balls of comfort. The fists to his head jarred him out of the endless cycling his android mind was whirring through at the moment, because it couldn't make sense of what was happening on the other side of the bedroom door between his parents.

In the absence of his normally ever-present mother, makeshift balls of comfort were going to have to do. Quinn rocked, faster and harder as the words coming from the other side of his parents bedroom door grew louder and more threatening. He then brought both of those balls of comfort to his head. Again, and again, and again, and again.

**_Manhattan, New York: Sunday, September 5, 2010_**

**_Quinn Eats Alone_**

Helena, M, Afrida and Quinn didn't normally go to work on Sundays, unless there was some kind of emergency that needed to be addressed. The family unit spent most Sundays together, sometimes going out to the movies or to a park, or lounging in the living room doing basically nothing but being in each other's company.

Helena had spent the Sunday before her fateful trip to Cyprus cooking an elaborate Sunday dinner, which she often did. She ingeniously combined some of everyone's favorite ingredients. There was a whole baked chicken (Helena) garnished with shallots, garlic and green onions (Afrida). The chicken was basted with thick cured slabs of bacon (M) and slightly sweetened with a light coating of brown sugar (Quinn). There were garnishments of steamed asparagus drizzled with olive oil (Afrida), mashed potatoes (M) and cheesy quinoa (Helena). Dessert was a delicious, very chocolate banana pudding courtesy of a recipe by Martha Stewart (Quinn).

But today M and Helena had both uncharacteristically left for work extremely early, mostly to escape each other after a night of arguing that had lasted late into the wee hours of the morning. M left early, before 6:00 a.m. Quinn wasn't asleep when he heard his mother open his bedroom door about an hour later, but he didn't say anything. He felt her watching him, and he sensed that she wanted to leave, so he let her go.

Quinn lay in bed looking at the ceiling for several hours, then decided he wanted a change of scenery. He left his room and stood in front of the floor to ceiling window of his living room, clad only in his Flash boxer briefs. Quinn liked the Flash comic book hero because he ran extremely fast, which was something that Quinn, thanks to his vampiric abilities, also was able to do. Quinn had an entire collection of superhero boxer briefs, bought custom made in his adult size by Afrida. She agreed with his determination that he should only wear underwear that evinced his unwavering dedication to fighting crime and eradicating evil. In fact, she purchased so many pairs of boxer briefs that Quinn still had several unopened superheroes waiting to be unleashed.

Quinn stood motionless in front of that over-sized living room window. Although he was overlooking Central Park, he was in fact gazing at nothing in particular as the sun traversed the morning, then afternoon sky, and finally disappeared. He stood in the same spot until his bladder reminded him that he needed to use the restroom, and his stomach growled from hunger. He turned and scratched his head, his first movement in over six hours. His hair was just a little too long, because Afrida took him to get his haircuts and she hadn't been home in more than a week.

Quinn stood in front of the open refrigerator, trying to decide what to eat. This was the first Sunday he had spent at home alone in, well, ever. And it was therefore the first Sunday he had ever spent without a fresh, hot meal prepared by his mother. Quinn had never prepared a meal. His parents had designated meal preparation roles, none of which included him.

Helena was the primary cook of all major meals, except breakfasts and outdoor grilling, which was the territory of M with some collaboration from Afrida. Afrida's specialty was "accessorizing food," her own term. This mostly meant taking Helena and M's productions and garnishing them with herbs, nuts, fruits, olives and sauces. Afrida also was the source of many fond memories for Quinn because she baked sweets, a lot.

But today the only evidence of all those delicious meals past were raw ingredients nestled in cupboards and fridge storage bins. Quinn didn't know what to do with any of that. The journey from those ingredients to a delicious hot meal was a trip Quinn didn't know how to make. So he grabbed a jug of milk and carried it to his personal pantry, which contained various kinds of chocolate bars and other candy.

There were many times when Quinn plotted how he might wash down all the chocolate he could eat with milk straight out of the jug. But there was always a parent around, usually Helena, to insist he drink his milk out of a glass and take only two, okay maybe three, pieces of chocolate. And even if Afrida or M snuck him more candy when Helena wasn't looking, their limit was usually two, okay maybe three, more pieces. But tonight he had the apartment all to himself, and he sat alone at the dining table eating bar after bar of chocolate and drinking his milk straight out of the jug.

By the time Helena returned home it was well past midnight. All evidence of Quinn's improvised dinner was thrown away. She was tired, having tried to sleep at work with little success. She briefly looked in at the kitchen, but didn't see the empty jug of milk and thirty candy bar wrappers in the trash. She checked on Quinn, or at least the back of his head. But she didn't touch him or walk into his room, mostly because she was exhausted and thankful not to deal with his questions and animation. Quinn sensed this, and so he didn't turn over. His eyes were open and full of quiet tears. His belly was full, but the rest of him was empty.

**_Manhattan, New York: Monday, September 6, 2010_**

Quinn did not sleep all night. After his mother came home from work, he waited, awake for several more hours, listening for the door to open; but his father never came home. He apparently stayed overnight on Satellite Draco or at the Sonoran Desert base. Quinn was still awake at 6:00 am when his mother peaked her head into his room to tell him she was leaving for work.

Helena whispered, "See you later today, Quinn. I love you." That was all she had to give at the moment, because the rest of her mind was focused on M and Afrida . Quinn didn't answer, and Helena assumed he was asleep. Although had she checked in with their Were bond, as she normally did, she would have known he was awake.

Quinn waited for Helena to leave. He then got out of bed, showered and shaved. His hair was slightly unruly because of his missed haircut appointment, but he did the best he could with it. He made himself another breakfast of milk and candy bars, then headed off to Satellite Draco. Quinn didn't really feel like going to work, but he went in because that is what he had always done for as long as he could remember.

**_Outer Space - Satellite Draco: Monday, September 6, 2010_**

Helena strolled down the long white hallway of Satellite Draco's main observation deck. She was dressed as crisply as ever, but her mind was hazy from lack of sleep and she was emotionally distraught. Several times this morning, people had stopped her in the hallway to speak with her about some issue, and her eyes glazed over. She tried to focus on them, but now found that she couldn't remember what they said.

Finally, Helena decided that going forward, she would set her android brain to _record_, so that she could resurrect the conversations later if she needed to do so. She almost never had to do that, but she realized that this was most definitely an unusual week; and it could not have occurred at a worse time. Over the weekend, the VA Project had received calls from the Pentagon informing them that vampire violence was spiking all around the country. Very senior government officials were increasingly concerned; and General Cavanaugh had briefed the President on Sunday night.

The President signed a top secret Executive Order 33387, which elevated all of the VA Programs "special projects," otherwise known as anti-vampire weapons, to A level priority. Rollout of AV weapons to selected states with high levels of hostile vampire activity was being accelerated. The governors of those states were having special meetings with the President this week.

This development was the culmination of M, Helena, Afrida and Quinn's hard work for the past several decades. This should have been a joyful time for Helena and her family, stressful because of the Pentagon brass roaming the halls, but joyful because they were capable and had trained for this for a very long time. Instead, Helena's family unit was falling apart, which made Helena worry about the added pressure of needing to be perfect at work. Some of the people they would be performing for were not enamored of the four supernatural beings who controlled so much American money and power; and a few of those cynics like General Hammer were actually planning their downfall.

Helena was so caught up in her thoughts that she stopped paying attention to her surroundings. She was walking down the hall on auto pilot. This is how she found herself startled and momentarily confused as she was grabbed, then pulled, then pushed into a storage closet. She had forgotten that she was passing by one of her and Afrida's usual spots.

Helena was plunged into darkness, and Afrida's voice was piercing as she calmly said, "I've been trying to be patient with you, Helena. After more than sixty-five years together, you're entitled to ask for whatever you want, even if it's a little unusual. But I need to know something more definitive than 'trust me.' What's going on with you?"

Helena was so taken aback that long seconds went by and she said nothing. Afrida, who had never been uncomfortable with uncomfortable silences, waited. Finally, Helena said, "It's not you, it's —"

Afrida cut her off, "Please don't say, 'It's me.' I've watched thousands of hours of movies with you, Helena. You should be able to do much better than a tired cliché."

Helena didn't think a storage closet on Satellite Draco was the appropriate place to tell Afrida that she thought it was best that they end the relationship, for the blonde's own good. No, that didn't seem like a good idea at all. Instead, Helena asked an unrelated question, "I suppose M has told you he thinks I'm having some kind of maenad episode?"

Helena didn't know what she expected from Afrida, but the blonde wasn't in the mood for small talk. She said, "I'm coming home tonight. I'm ready to sleep in my bed."

Helena panicked. "I … please don't. Not yet."

Afrida asked, more edgy now, "Why? Are you saying I _can't_ come home?"

Helena, "N-no, I… I'm not saying that."

Afrida, "Okay, then I'll see you tonight. In our room. In our _bed._"

Helena suddenly felt Afrida's familiar scent invading her personal space, and Afrida's breasts pressed into her. The alpha wolf's body had already reacted before her mind could process what had happened. And then, a warm, moist mouth found hers.

"Hmmm, I've missed this soooo much. And tonight …" Afrida breathed out through one of the most delicious kisses Helena had ever tasted. Of course, Helena was, at the moment, like someone who had been stranded in the desert for over a week with no water.

Reluctantly, and with a great deal of effort, Helena extracted herself from Afrida. "I… I don't think that's a good idea … for me. I'm not feeling very sexual right now."

"Bullshit," Afrida's tone was an odd mixture of seductive and biting. "At this moment, you're extremely aroused. I can … smell you. Why are lying to me, Helena? What's wrong with you?"

Helena breathed deep, then sighed. She was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. M felt real to her. Afrida, with her breasts still slightly pressed against her, felt oh so real to Helena. In contrast, Alexis Stavros and that cave in Cyprus felt far away. Helena, in that moment, began to wonder whether Alexis had just been a figment of her own imagination. She shook away the doubt and bolstered her resolve.

Helena was going to have to make up her mind that she was having this conversation, and soon. She suddenly realized that she was afraid and hedging her bets, trying to will herself to gather the courage to follow through with what she believed she had to do. Helena sighed again, because right now she knew she wasn't ready.

Helena tried a different approach. She rubbed Afrida, making feathery trails up and down the sides of the blonde's arms. "I'm sorry Afrida. I'm just … I need a little more time to … figure out what's going on with me."

Afrida reacted to Helena's touch and the gentleness in her lover's voice. She gently pleaded, "Helena, you're my wife. I love you. We've always said we're in everything together. Okay, so something is going on with you, and you need time to sort that out. Why do you need to sort that out in New York, while I'm alone in D.C.?"

Helena now felt like shit, even more than she was already feeling. It hadn't fully hit home to her until now that despite her insistence to the contrary, she had effectively banished Afrida and separated her not just from Helena, but from her entire family, from M and Quinn. Her single-minded focus had been to immediately start Afrida on the path of discovering who she really was and doing what she needed to do to evolve. But of course, Afrida would not, could not in fact, appreciate that, since she had no clue why Helena was behaving the way that she was.

"I suspect you won't be alone for long. I expect that M will be coming to DC soon," Helena responded, fully realizing she wasn't at all addressing the real question that Afrida was asking.

Helena's beautiful wife was nothing if not persistent. Undeterred, Afrida asked, "Yes, I've gathered that M is upset with you. I'm not yet sure why that is, but you know we'll talk about it eventually. I'm trying to understand why the three of us can't just curl up in bed tonight and talk about it as a family."

Helena was silent, thinking, because she knew by the way Afrida had resolutely positioned herself between Helena and the door that the blonde was requiring an answer of her. Helena told the only truth she could say at the moment. "I'm sorry, Afrida. I know full well this isn't fair to you. And I know it's frustrating. Can you just … please … for me, for no other reason than because I'm asking you … stay in DC for now?"

Afrida's tone returned to edgy, "Washington, DC isn't where I _stay_. It's where I _go_, Helena. And you know why that is. I don't need to be there anymore, and I want to come home."

Helena quickly said, "I know, I know."

Partly because she need to do it, and also because she very much wanted to do it, the alpha wolf pulled her beautiful blonde wife into her arms and held her close. After so many days of wanting, Helena's hormones were suddenly raging from the intimate contact. She had to will herself not to take Afrida then and there. Instead, she nuzzled her head into the crook of Afrida's neck. Helena knew this was a sure fire way to make her wife melt.

Helena's partly selfish ploy worked, for all of a minute. The she felt Afrida's warm lips kiss her cheek then press against her ear. The blonde whispered in an emotionless tone that said she meant business, "I'm going to give you what you're asking for Helena. Against everything I'm feeling right now, I'm going to give this to you. Because you're my wife and I'd give you anything in the world. But I need a date. I need a firm date by which you are going to talk to me, and tell me _everything_. I need that right now."

Helena's heart raced. Her sensible android mind asked Helena why she was panicking. _You did know things couldn't go on like this forever, didn't you? _But then that same sensible android mind helped her out the best it could, by asking for the most time possible. Helena stuttered out, "The next two weeks … I need to really focus on work. I … need us _all_ to focus on work. With this Executive Order and all the military brass rushing us on the AV weapons, I need until that's over to focus … just on work. I can't … deal with personal matters at the same time."

It was pitch dark in the storage closet, so Helena couldn't see Afrida's frowns or her eyes darting back and forth as she filtered through the various things Helena said to her. Maybe the alpha wolf could have harnessed her vampiric or wolfen eyesight to catch a glimpse of Afrida's face, but she was too busy focusing on the smell, the feel of her lover so close to her after more than a week apart.

Had Helena been able to see Afrida's various expressions, she would have known that by this point, Afrida had already decided that Helena was full of shit. The blonde was merely trying to decide exactly _why _her alpha wolf wife, who normally was so straightforward and by the book about everything, was deliberately bullshitting her. Afrida didn't like any of the possibilities her mind visited.

To Helena's surprise, Afrida stepped out of Helena's embrace and abruptly opened the door. Helena's heart ached as she saw her beautiful wife's partly shadowed face regarding her. Afrida was serious, more stern than Helena had ever seen her. It wasn't visible to either Helena or Afrida, but a tiny glowing ball of light had formed somewhere deep inside the blonde. It glowed and pulsed intermittently, louder and stronger, as Afrida ruminated over Helena's bullshit.

This ominous, invisible ball of light inside Afrida was still tiny but now pulsing steadily. Afrida, like stone, said, "Alright, Helena. I give you what you ask. I won't pressure you about any of this, for now. I'll stay in DC, except to come by our apartment in New York when I need some of my things. I will be on my best professional behavior for the next two weeks. Of course, you know that always leaves something to be desired."

For a brief moment, Helena thought Afrida might give a trademark smirk, but her face remained hardened, as she finished with, "But after this two-week dance for the powers that be is over, I'm coming home; and we're dealing with this."

It was a statement, not a question; and the goddess's tone left no room for argument. Before Helena could say anything, Afrida turned and walked out.

**# # # # #**

Quinn strolled through the halls of Satellite Draco, going nowhere in particular. He didn't follow his normal routine, so he was not on the observation deck at 9:30 a.m. when Kara looked for him to bring him his cocoa. He didn't listen to the _Blue Danube_ waltz while he gazed at Planet Earth, as he had done every day he worked on the ship since Draco was built.

He looked for his mother, but each time he found her she was talking to some officer, usually a general he didn't know. He gazed at her from afar, waiting for her to be free, but she never was.

Quinn found Afrida in a hallway closet. It was a tucked away closet on a hallway that was typically deserted. He knew about this particular closet because he and Afrida used it as a storage place for his cowboy hats, badges, light lasers and other paraphernalia necessary for fighting crime and eradicating evil. After searching the entire ship, Quinn went there on a whim and found her. He heard her on the other side of the door. She was crying uncontrollably. He didn't know what to say to her, so he stood for a while and listened. This made him increasingly uncomfortable, and sad. He felt himself being overwhelmed by the emotion, and hurried away.

Quinn then looked for his father. He had found him several times earlier in the day, also engaged in conversations, and looking atypically stressed. But this time, after hearing Afrida crying, he needed to see him. Quinn stood and waited in the distance of a busy hallway for more than thirty minutes, watching as his father talked to more men in green uniforms that he didn't know.

Quinn waited for that precious free moment, and approached his father. He wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what to say. He thought of one of his father's favorite conversations, the _Blade Runner _riddle, then said "I have been thinking about the _Blade Runner _interview …"

But Quinn didn't realize that M had just been given an almost impossible to meet deliverable, and his father's mind was focused now on how to work a miracle this week. M replied absently, "I'm sorry Quinn, but I can't right now. I need you to focus on transcribing the surveillance data. We're going to need that information for dedicating resources. Just … think about the riddle on your own this week."

M didn't know how monumental that question was for Quinn. M didn't realize, as he walked briskly down the long hallway and away from his son, late for yet another meeting, that those were the only words Quinn had spoken in the last thirty-eight hours.

Quinn went to the Brass Tacks room to do as he was told by his father. He inserted a disc and listened as Pamela screamed at a patron of Fangtasia, a regular, about yet another stupid thing he had done to endanger her bar. Uncharacteristically, Quinn rewound the same portion of conversation over and over. Finally, he gave up. His brain wasn't working. He turned and gazed out of the tiny window that opened to outer space. He remained sitting at that window until well past close of business. He forgot that he hadn't eaten lunch, or dinner.

At around 8:00 pm, Helena found Quinn sitting in the Brass Tacks room gazing out of the window. She walked over to him and ran her hand through his hair. He didn't turn around. Helena sensed that maybe he was upset about the strife between her and M, but she didn't know what to say to him. She was so thankful that he wasn't asking about Afrida. She presumed he had spoken with her sometime during the course of the day, but she dared not ask.

She did venture to ask, "Are you okay? Have you eaten?"

Quinn didn't turn around, "Not yet. I will. I'm taking a break from transcribing. General M asked me to focus on this, so I will stay here tonight." Quinn told a technical truth. He had never been able to do that before, but for some reason now he could.

Helena smiled for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll be around, Sector G, if you need me."

Quinn didn't reply as he heard his mother leave the room.

**_ Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Tuesday, September 7, 2010_**

Quinn's android mind completely shut down. It failed him at a most critical moment, and such a thing had never happened to him before. The favored son had stayed overnight on Satellite Draco, which turned out to be good thing. This is because very early the next morning. M came rushing to find him, frantically telling him that the two of them needed to beam down immediately to the Arizona base.

A crew of senior military personnel and White House staff wanted a demonstration of the AV weapons. Cavanaugh had bragged about their capabilities, and sold them to the President as a ready-now solution to deliver to several governors who were complaining about the growing unrest involving vampires in their states.

Hammer, seeing this as an opportunity to put M on the spot, had requested a last-minute repeat of the demonstration that M and Quinn provided back in June. This was supposed to be easy, so easy that M and Quinn could do it in the dark. Except that today it wasn't easy at all. Nothing went as planned. Quinn didn't open the doors as cued. Then M, who was not conscious of how tired he was, didn't execute well. On two occasions, the vampires almost escaped and went after the generals in the observation booth. There was a protocol if such a thing happened, and Quinn was supposed to give M backup; but for some reason he didn't.

Looking back on all of this, Quinn vaguely recalled through a bout of nausea Hammer smirking and Cavanaugh chewing his father out, and yelling that they all looked like fools. Yes, the vampires were killed. But if using these AV weapons was so difficult for a trained general who had been practicing with them for over a year, they clearly weren't ready to be given as a panacea to state and local law enforcement. The President was not going to be happy with the report that would be coming back to him.

Quinn tried to forget how his father leaned forward at him, looking despondent and embarrassed as he asked, "What the fuck happened, Quinn? We've gone over this several times. I told you how important this test was."

Quinn didn't know what to say; and by the time he thought of something, his father had stormed off. Quinn felt like his mind was leaving his body. At that moment, he wanted to disappear. He felt himself falling to the floor, but then General Dodson was grabbing his arm and pulling him.

Dodson smiled a little too wide as he said, "That's okay, Kilroy. We all make mistakes. Mistakes build character. Come on. Looks like we are getting a surprise demonstration."

Quinn followed Dodson, even though he didn't know what he was talking about. He and M's demonstration was supposed to be the only demonstration on this emergency schedule. Quinn was more focused on the insincerity he picked up in Dodson's voice and demeanor. Dodson was smiling, but Quinn knew that he was taking a great deal of pleasure in seeing he and his father fail so miserably at such a pivotal time. Quinn didn't know exactly how he knew this. He just did. Quinn had never before been able to read nonverbal cues, but at this moment he read Dodson like a book. The man who was mostly organic android suddenly felt an emotion he had never felt before. Anger.

**# # # # #**

M didn't know that Helena and Afrida had been watching the botched demonstration. Afrida, true to her word, came with Helena to watch and support their husband and son. Afrida was absolutely professional and unexpectedly mature. She didn't attempt to engage Helena in questions about their relationship or why she was still sleeping in her empty Washington, DC apartment.

Helena was initially guarded; but she slowly relaxed around Afrida and focused on what was going on with M and Quinn. She knew the day of reckoning with her wife was coming, but for now she was thankful it wasn't today.

Helena felt sick to her stomach as she watched what happened to M and Quinn. She could not escape the guilt that she was the cause of her husband's public failure. Her husband was made to perform as a soldier. Yet here he was failing in front of his military colleagues. Helena sometimes hated M's sarcasm, borne by his overwhelming self confidence in his ability to perform his job. But she hated her husband being dejected even more.

Helena took sidelong glances at Afrida, who was equally disturbed by the sight of Hammer and Dodson making jokes about M. Helena turned to her and said, "Do you think we can test the weapons in the field?"

Afrida frowned, thinking, "It's risky. Maybe we should leave bad enough alone. Quinn and I have tested them twice in an open uncontrolled environment, but there were … problems. If this goes wrong …"

But then Afrida saw Cavanaugh screaming at her husband, and the embarrassment on M's face. She saw M lambasting Quinn, and the despondent look on her son's face. It suddenly hit Afrida that Quinn must be having a very difficult time dealing with her absence. She thought and thought, and remembered that she had been so wrapped up with her own hurt and confusion that she hadn't spoken to Quinn since she left Cyprus on August 27. _Twelve days. _He hadn't called her; she guessed that Helena had admonished him against doing so.

The feeling of being a piece of shit hit Afrida as she realized she hadn't called Quinn either. She just … _assumed_ he was okay. Helena never let Quinn out of her sight, so how could he not be okay? But Afrida didn't have a clue what he had been up to for the past week. And if Quinn's failure to perform in this test, a test he had conducted literally more than a hundred times, was any indication, then he wasn't doing well, at all.

_Well, I'm a shitty mom. Friends don't abandon friends, especially when bombs are falling all around them. _The guilt of all this made Afrida change her mind about doing the field test. She turned to Helena and said, "Let's do it."

Afrida didn't know how she knew this, but she felt certain that she and Helena could efficiently complete vampire kills with the weapons in an open field with no mistakes. She felt that if she concentrated on success, it would happen. Afrida needed this field demonstration to go smoothly, for her husband and her son, and she was going to make it happen. The goddess closed her eyes for a moment and _willed_ it. It was going to be so.

The crew of generals were skeptical, but intrigued, as they teleported to the field testing location. They sat on bleachers in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the Sonoran Desert. Cacti jutted out of the sand at random points off into the distance. The generals, and now M and Quinn, sat on bleachers under a covered, air conditioned canopy. Other than the covering of shade, the approximately fifteen very important men from all branches of the United States military and the White House staff were totally exposed.

This feeling of being exposed and in danger was intended by the setup, to make the demonstration of the weapons' effectiveness all the more compelling. General M and Colonel Quinn joined the crew of military and White House V.I.P.s on the bleachers. M looked nervous and confused. _What the fuck is Helena doing now?_

General Hammer was pleased with the unexpected gift of M's failure. It bolstered a point he had been making for a long time. This program did not belong in the leadership hands of nonhumans. But he was also painfully knowledgeable about the competence under pressure of Generals Helena and Afrida. Although he was pretty sure it wouldn't work, Hammer tried to unnerve Helena.

Hammer facetiously asked, "I'm sorry, ladies …" He smiled when Afrida glared. "Generals, I mean. We were almost killed during the so-called control test. Why is it that we have some of the greatest military minds alive right now sitting exposed, with nothing between them and some very hungry vampires, except you two and some weaponry whose reliability is now in serious question?"

Helena calmly responded while unbuttoning her jacket, "I understand it was your bright idea to suddenly call this control test, General Hammer; and yet you try to place blame on General M and Colonel Quinn because it was less than stellar. You should have prepared better for our important guests before bringing them all the way here from Washington."

Hammer resisted snarling in front of the military brass as he said, "I blame M and Quinn because they just fucked up the control test."

Helena calmly interjected, eying Hammer coldly, "Frank, I'm sure you know that control tests only tell you if the weaponry works. They have almost no relevant application in a real world environment. Moreover, we normally calibrate all of the systems in a control environment _before_ a test. That's the reason it's called a _control._ You don't just walk cold in and perform the test. But I'm sure you were so interested in setting up that meaningless exhibition that you inadvertently forgot that."

To Hammer's chagrin, several of the generals and White House staff chuckled approvingly at Helena's bravado. Others were appreciating the ever increasing state of undress being displayed as Helena and Afrida took off their green jackets and then their dress shirts.

As mad as he was, M couldn't help but smirk when Afrida slowly bent over for way too long to pick up her weapons and other gear. M rolled his eyes as the buxom blonde elicited the expected response in her all-male audience as she wrapped a bandolier full of ammunition around her chest, adjusting her triple D breasts several times in the process.

One of the generals gasped, "My God. Big breasts and guns. Together. I surrender. Take me prisoner. This alone is worth the trip to this shithole desert."

Helena gave Hammer one last jibe, "I understand you were expressing reservations about your safety in our hands, Frank. We'll give you a moment to retreat. Now's the time for you, or anyone else for that matter, to go."

Afrida smirked and added, "Show us your pussy, Frank. You know we'd love to see it." Most of the generals lost it with laughter, and more than a few erotic thoughts conjured up by the word _pussy_ passing through Afrida's succulent looking lips.

A normally stoic general with stark white hair smiled widely at Afrida and said, "Invigorating." Afrida smiled and winked at him. Hammer turned red. The men looked around to see who was going to be the first to show Helena and Afrida their pussy. A few leaned forward and made a show of eyeing General Hammer, waiting for him to flash something. Hammer sat stewing, and no one got up to leave.

Afrida smirked at Hammer and drawled, "Maybe later." She gave a hand signal to Liza and Elizabeth, the two young wolves on their VA Team, who were sitting in a control tower in the distance.

Helena told the generals, "I hope you all aren't afraid of the dark."

Before anyone could answer, the visiting officials witnessed a kind of modern day miracle. It was late morning on a bright, sunny day in the middle of the desert in Arizona. The sun had been beaming down on them, burning hot. Suddenly the glowing, burnt-orange orb was gone from the sky, and an entire half mile radius was enveloped in utter darkness.

One of the guest generals called out, "What the hell is this? Freakiest shit I've ever seen, and I've seen some freaky shit in my life."

Helena explained, "It's called an artificial eclipse. You know how humans trapped in windowless office cubicles can use an artificial sun to invigorate the body, making the human think it's more awake than it actually is?

Well, this is the same concept, only in reverse. This is an artificial eclipse, which tricks a vampire into thinking it's nighttime. Time to wake up … and feed."

Helena smiled when she saw several of the men nervously gulp down air. She continued, "As you can see in the distance, the sun is shining brightly, so the vampires will only have this very narrow half-mile radius of space to operate in. And they are hungry, so I guess you could say that means you guys are the bait."

A bell sounded and somewhere in the near distance, the spectators could hear a door opening. The brave men of war sitting on the bleachers couldn't help from shivering a little with fear and anticipation. It suddenly hit home to them that they were totally exposed and there were ravenous vampires coming right at them.

Although the testing area looked like an open field, it was in fact somewhat controlled; but those controls were virtually hidden. The vampire prisoners were kept hungry, starving actually. They therefore had a strong incentive to seek out the crowd of pulsing veins sitting in the middle of the open desert. The sunlight acted as a natural barrier, but for good measure there were mobile flying robots on the ready to shoot silvery mist and sun ray bullets.

An old, old general, almost too old to still be working, quipped, "You've got the floor, ladies. We trust our beloved Army trained you well. We're ready and proud to serve as bait for you. And I'm sure Hammer can keep his pink panties from getting pee-pee wet over a few corpses."

Hammer winced and groused. Helena smiled and Afrida winked at the old general. Before the blonde could turn around a large male vampire flew down toward her and slammed into her, knocking her off her feet and into the air. As Afrida sailed away from the men sitting on the bleachers, she saw the vampire turn toward them and race forward. Afrida aimed her sun laser and turned the vampire into a pile of goo in the sand.

The blonde landed hard on the sand and rolled to a stop. She quickly recovered and ran briskly back to the base point, just as another bell sounded. This time two vampires, a man and a woman, tried a coordinated attack. Helena fired one, then a second, cold seeking bullet. At first, both bullets went after the female vampire. Helena guessed she was the colder of the two vamps.

The first bullet disintegrated the female vampire, causing the second bullet to abruptly change course and seek out the male vampire as he was flying toward the seated military bait. Dodson couldn't help releasing a high-pitched scream as the vampire got a little too close for his liking. The old army men from Washington, DC laughed at him.

One of the old men laughed, "You've been in suburbia too long, Dodson. You sound like a little bitch."

The bell sounded again, this time releasing seven vampires at the same time. Helena and Afrida moved together, coordinating their strikes, rolling in the sand, adjusting their moves. They quickly took out all seven vampires; although Afrida waited until absolutely the last minute to kill one just before he sank his fangs into Hammer's neck.

Afrida faked looking sorry and drawled, "I'm sorry, Frank. Good thing you keep spare uniforms at the base. That one just got away from me, I guess." Frank sneered at Afrida as he wiped vampire entrails off his face and uniform.

Helena and Afrida took in the appreciative looks of the generals. Afrida gave a hand signal to the wolves in the tower, indicating that the generals had seen enough.

The demonstration over, Helena stepped forward to summarize what the awestruck generals had just witnessed. "I'm not going to lie to you, gentlemen. It's obvious from what you just saw that these weapons aren't going to substitute for basic law enforcement skills. To make this work, you should put these devices in the hands of the best of the best and train them well. Which is as it should be anyway. Equipment this expensive should be a reward given to the most stellar officers. They're not toys for the reckless. With those caveats, we're ready for roll out. You should thank General M. Without him, this wouldn't be possible."

Several of the generals nodded and uttered praises. _Impressive. Fucking outstanding. _They looked over at M approvingly.

Helena added, just to pique their interest, "Besides, we should get these on the streets now. They'll be outdated soon."

One of the White House officials asked, visibly excited "What do you mean, General? You have something else?"

Helena replied without looking up from packing up her gear. "Yes, General Afrida and I, with guidance from General M, have been working on a necromancer weapon."

Someone yelled, "Excuse me, a what?"

Afrida yelled back so the questioner could hear her, "A necromancer weapon. A weapon that manipulates vampires mentally and controls them. It's like hypnosis. If we can control vampires, these weapons are nothing. We can make the vampire kill itself, or kill others. We can make it do anything we want."

The military men salivated at the prospect. Afrida smiled and asked, "Would you gentlemen like a preview? It's in the beginning stages, so I don't want to hear shit from you if it's not perfect."

The men eagerly nodded and confirmed that they wanted a preview of this never before seen weapon. They promised to be on their best behavior and not to give General Afrida any shit if it wasn't perfect. Afrida put on what looked like a pair of Ray Ban shades. She pressed a tiny button on the hinge of the frame, and her sunglasses emitted a soft yellow light.

Afrida gave another signal to the wolves in the control tower, and soon after a familiar bell sounded. An attractive, blond, female vampire, bearing fangs, rushed at Afrida. The goddess made no move to reach for her weapons. Instead, she trained her shades and that light emanating from them onto the growling vampire.

The vampire suddenly became calm and docile. Afrida spoke in a calm, soothing tone. "That's it, beautiful. Come here."

Afrida led the vampire over to the men. She came directly in front of General Hammer and said to the vampire with a now vacant stare, "Be nice and help me make up with General Hammer for ruining his uniform. Give him a kiss."

Everyone stood transfixed as the attractive vampire leaned in obediently and kissed Hammer, half on the lips and half on the cheek. Hammer, aware of his audience, resisted the urge to recoil. Someone murmured, "I could think of a lot of interesting uses for that weapon. Place me on the waiting list." Laughter.

Afrida pulled the vampire back and stroked her hair for a moment. Then she gave the subtlest nod to the control tower. Suddenly the artificial eclipse was gone, and the burning hot sun once again filled the desert. The hypnotized vampire started to burn, then she disintegrated. The vampire was still under Afrida's control, so she didn't even scream when she started burning.

Afrida nonchalantly removed the necromancer glasses, seemingly oblivious to the fan club of men she and Helena had created by the bleachers. The two women casually removed their bandoliers and packed up their gear. The old, old general who had been so supportive sauntered over to them and held out his hand. He effused, "That. That was impressive. General?"

Helena extended her hand and replied, "General Wolfe. Helena Wolfe."

The old general said, "I'm General Hobbes." He turned to Afrida, "And you, my dear are … General?"

Afrida extended her hand and regarded General Hobbes. She sensed him and found him warm despite his slightly boorish exterior. She smiled genuinely and replied, "General Erasmus. Afrida Erasmus."

Afrida could see the other Pentagon guests watching the three of them intently, afraid to approach but curious. The goddess didn't want to deal with them so she sent them a stronger wave of apprehension for good measure. The other men kept their distance, but looked on longingly.

General Hobbes asked, "Will you ladies be joining us? I think Hammer got reservations at the Stable Room. Surf and Turf?" Hobbes whispered, looking a little mischievous and guilty, "I think they're going to one of those dancing bars … with the ladies dancing … afterwards. That wasn't my idea. If you two would like to join us we can do something else, like a cigar bar or –"

Afrida cut him off with a smile and a warm palm on his chest, "Oh no. We can't. But that's so considerate of you, General Hobbes. You men go ahead and enjoy your steak and titties. Us girls will stay here and take care of this mess."

Afrida stretched her arms above her head, which had the effect of pushing out her breasts even more, "Helenaaaahhh, why did you bring back the suunnnn? Now I'm sooo … hot." The men from Washington, DC who hadn't seen this schtick before, were gaping. Dodson, Hammer and Cavanaugh were rolling their eyes. Quinn stared blankly, off in his head; and M looked bored.

Afrida made a show of looking down at her T-shirt, shocked to find, of all things, blood and dirt, after rolling around on the ground and killing several vampires, no less. She channeled her best Marilyn Monroe in _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ as she crooned, "Besides, I'm in no condition to go anywhere."

She pulled down the V-neck of her white Army issue T-shirt, exposing the top of a lacey bra. Helena quirked an eyebrow as General Hobbes gazed at Afrida's chest, transfixed. The other men came as close as the goddess's wave of apprehension would allow. "Oh no, look at this. My favorite bra. I got vampire blood all over it. I don't know what it is with me. I just have to get dirty."

Afrida rubbed blood off the portion of her breast peeking out from the top of her powder blue, lacy bra. She licked her fingers and moaned. General Hobbes blinked repeatedly as if not believing his own eyes, then remarked, "General Afrida, you're just a poor innocent victim of circumstances." General Hobbes glanced down at the handkerchief in his jacket pocket, "Would you like to use my handkerchief to … clean yourself?"

Afrida gently rubbed General Hobbes' chest in small circles and gazed into his eyes as she drawled, "I'm neither poor nor innocent. But I couldn't yank out your handkerchief," as she gently pulled on his handkerchief with the tips of her thumb and forefinger. "Then you'd be all dirty, too."

Hobbes was about to insist to the beautiful blonde that he had absolutely no problem whatsoever with Afrida yanking his handkerchief or making him as dirty as she wanted; but Hammer had had enough of this bullshit. He pulled General Hobbes by the arm, "No, she couldn't, really. I'm sorry, General Hobbes. The reservations are for 1:00 pm and this is the best steak house in this god forsaken part of town. We need to get going."

Hobbes was irritated. "For fuck's sake, Hammer. It's steak. It's dead and not going anywhere."

Afrida rubbed Hobbes' chest, calming him. "You're so, invigorating. Don't worry. I'm sure we'll get another chance to spend some time together. What's your first name?"

Hobbes replied, too breathily for a man of war, "Adam. I'm Adam Hobbes."

Afrida lamented, "Adam. Hmmm, Adam. It's too bad Frank Hammer is the serpent in our Garden of Eden."

Hobbes gave a sidelong glare at Hammer and agreed, "Yes, Hammer is the serpent in our Garden of Eden." He shook Hammer's hand off his arm. "Get away … serpent."

Just then M strolled over. He had no trouble navigating the goddess's wave of apprehension. He frowned at his beautiful blonde wife, who looked absolutely mischievous. "That's quite enough, Eve. Adam needs to get to lunch."

Afrida pouted but released Hobbes from her spell. Hobbes blinked as his head cleared. He regarded Afrida intently and said, "It's wonderful here, I know. Paradise. But if you ever want to spice things up a bit, you know. Have a little separation from your family. Consider this a standing invite to come work with me in Washington, DC The Pentagon and the White House could use someone with your … talents."

Afrida smiled and said, "Thank you, Adam. I will seriously keep that in mind. I have an apartment in Washington, D.C. already. Perhaps a change in scenery would be good."

Helena felt a deep pang in her heart when she heard this, and M looked hurt and worried. He gave Helena a brief glare (_you better fix this)_, then walked off with Hobbes.

**# # # # #**

Quinn walked briskly over and stood in front of Afrida. Helena moved away slightly, allowing the two of them their moment. Quinn said, "I want to stay with you."

Afrida held Quinn's head in her hands and shook her head, "I think your father needs you to go with him and our guests. We'll get a chance to spend some quality time together. Just the two of us, I promise. I'm sorry I've been missing for the past two weeks. I … had some things I had to take care of. I'm going to be in Washington for a little while longer, but you can call me or come be with me whenever you want, okay?"

Afrida sensed Quinn's mood, then added, "None of this is your fault, okay. You understand that? I love you. I love you sooo much."

Helena felt another, deeper pain in her chest. Afrida was taking on this burden of trying to reassure Quinn. Helena couldn't help but give a sorrowful smile at her wife, who was putting their son first, despite her own pain and confusion about this separation Helena had unilaterally imposed.

Afrida pulled Quinn's head down and nestled him into her chest. She kissed his forehead and lovingly ran her fingers through his hair. She noticed that his hair was longer than usual. She whispered, "You didn't get your haircut. I'm sorry I neglected you."

Quinn shook his head, "It's okay. I kind of like it this way."

He looked at Afrida intently. He was happy to be talking with her. He was happy to be in her company again, after what seemed like forever without her. But to his surprise he felt … angry. He frowned, searching inside of himself for the cause of this anger. Yes, that is what he felt - anger. Quinn realized he could read Afrida's thoughts and feelings, which he had never been able to do previously, and she was lying to him.

Afrida had just said she hadn't been around because of something going on with_ her_. Quinn suddenly could read the thoughts of all his parents, and he knew this was a lie. His parents always _told him_ to tell the truth, but all three of them were lying to him. He realized that they told him these kinds of lies often, supposedly to "protect" him. Quinn decided that he could hate lies or love lies; but he absolutely unequivocally hated hypocrisy. He suddenly pulled himself away from Afrida and coldly said, "I have to go."

Afrida looked confused by Quinn's sudden mood change, but she called after him. "Call me later if you want to talk."

Quinn didn't answer. Afrida assumed his mood had something to do with the stress they were all going through because of the sudden disruption in family routine.

**# # # # #**

The Washington generals had been patiently waiting for Colonel Quinn, enjoying a last view of Helena and Afrida. Dodson, ever Hammer's lapdog, complained, "You know that shit Helena spouted about control versus field tests was bullshit, right?"

One of the men from Washington cut Dodson off, "So what Dodson? Your point? It was good bullshit; and she gets the benefit of the doubt because she pulled that shit off."

Dodson wouldn't let it go. "You guys need to quit thinking with the little heads in your pants and start thinking with the big one on your shoulders. Helena, and especially Afrida, are manipulative bitches and you guys are eating their shit up."

M warned, "Careful, Dodson. I will kick your ass and give our guests a story to tell when they get back to Washington."

Hobbes interjected, "No worries, General M. Let's all get steak and see some titties. Shut the fuck up Carl. And you too, Frank. The two of you have been trashing M and this program for years. I'm finally glad I had the chance to come here myself and see that you two _are the ones _full of shit. General Helena is one of the most impressive soldiers I've ever seen."

Hobbes turned worshipful, "And General Erasmus. Ohhhh. Afrida Erasmus. Good God, that woman loves her country. If I had a rack like that and looks like hers, I'd be on a beach in Taipei sucking off some billionaire and spending his money. I wouldn't be anywhere near this shithole of a desert with you miserable old fucks killing vampires.

And your complaints about General M. Just jealousy, plain and simple. I hate jealous, insecure little bitches. I agree with General Wolfe that it's Hammer's fault for making M put this thing together at the last minute. That's what I'm going to communicate to the President when I tell him everything is a go. Then I'm going to give General M and his VA Program every support I can."

Hammer was absolutely livid. M walked away to create some distance between himself and the group of military men. He needed to put Dodson and Hammer out of his mind, to avoid beating the shit out of them in front of his guests.

One of the Washington generals took in Afrida nestling Quinn into her chest. He said, "That looks interesting."

Dodson scoffed, "That's just M's bitch cat son with his two mothers. While it's true those two keep a mom tit in that boy's mouth at all times, it's nothing interesting to watch. It's actually tragic what they've done to him. Look away."

The Washington general replied, still staring longingly at Afrida, "No. I can't. She's hot as fuck and they're triple D's, man."

Dodson intoned, "Afrida's mom titties are triple D's alright. _All_ mom titties are triple D's. They are a _delusional developmental delay_ for any red-blooded boy who hopes to grow into a man and fuck. That's why I put my foot down with my wife when my sons were toddlers. Take the mom titty out of their mouths, I told her. We're going to see real titties later, and watching this display will ruin it for you."

**# # # # #**

Afrida stood next to Helena, absently caressing her arm as she watched the men watching the two of them. The touch was doing all kinds of things to Helena's nether regions, and Afrida knew it. Afrida intoned, "War may be complex, but most men are not. That's one of the reasons I sooo love my husband and my son. They are two of the most complex men I know.

For example, look at our dear husband sitting there. All those generals are going to go to lunch and regale him about how he's master and commander of the universe, and his household. They're going to muse about how he gets to come home and pound the both of us all night, or maybe watch us eat each other out. They'll ask him for details, and say he's not playing nice when he tells them to fuck off and quit disrespecting his family."

Afrida's tone turned slightly caustic. "They'll go home and jerk off tonight thinking about the three of us, imagining they're M, pounding us and fucking us hard. Oh well. Like most fantasies, you and I know that's not really how it is. Those stupid men have no idea that _it's you_ who fucks me and M. They couldn't even conceptualize that reality if I told it to them. They have no idea that _you're _the true master and commander in this marriage; and M and I are your bitches."

Afrida's voice lightened sarcastically as she mused, "Hmmm. Our husband is not aroused in the least. I can feel him. He should be happy right now about how well this field test went, but he's actually quite pissed off. And he's got a lot of choice words for you floating around in that big head of his. Makes me glad I'm going to my quiet little apartment in DC tonight. My plan is to watch American Idol and Glee and pleasure myself during the commercials. Somehow, I don't think you'll be having the same kind of fun tonight."

Afrida abruptly stopped stroking Helena's arm and walked off.

**# # # # #**

**_Juicy Lucy's Big Bush Club: Somewhere Near Phoenix, Arizona_**

M sat next to General Hobbes and across from Quinn in a private V.I.P. room at _Juicy Lucy's Big Bush Club_, one of the most popular strip clubs in the Phoenix area. At the moment, a well-endowed dancer, a brunette named Destiny (her stripper name, of course) was grinding on Quinn and pushing her left nipple into his mouth. The other generals were well past drunk. Dodson had started a collection, with the sole purpose of getting Quinn to put something "other than a mom tit" in his mouth.

M watched as his son abruptly sat straight up. Destiny grinded into him hard, making big circular motions with her pelvis. Quinn's eyes were large as he tried to process the strange things that he was feeling, especially in his loins. Dodson showered one dollar bills over Destiny and urged, "That's it, Kilroy. Don't be afraid, son. I know it doesn't taste the same as Helena or Afrida's titties. But we've got to start somewhere with weaning you off them, man. Come on!"

M was drunk, and everyone was a little blurry. He stared blankly as he saw his son abruptly stand and gently remove Destiny from his lap. Quinn had a full erection, and he looked disturbed. He looked to M and said, "May I go home?"

M nodded, "It's alright, Quinn. Go ahead, son. I'll be there, soon." M watched as Quinn exited the club. His son was walking funny, unused to having a full erection.

Dodson and Hammer laughed uncontrollably. Cavanaugh sipped his port and shook his head at their imbecilic behavior. He said, "You fuckers don't know when to stop, do you? Why can't you just leave the boy alone?"

Dodson mocked being serious, "Come on, James. We're just having a little fun. I think he made a lot of progress tonight. With any luck, he'll explore how to get rid of that tent pole when he gets home."

Hammer observed while sipping a beer, "Unless one of his mothers walks in on him, which I guarantee they'll do. He's doomed to be a bitch cat. He's got two queen bitches for mothers and a beta wolf for a father."

M slammed the table with his palm and got up to leave. Hobbes grabbed his arm, "Sit down, M. Sit and finish your port, good man."

M looked for a moment at Hobbes's strong but weathered hand on his arm, then reluctantly sat down. Hobbes turned to M, but spoke loud enough for all the men sitting around on sofas to hear him. "All of the fuckers sitting in this room running jokes on you are jealous as fuck, M. They'd cut off an arm and a leg to have what you have, and they fucking know it. I'm an old man without any pretenses. I've come full circle in my life. I'm at death's door, and I don't give a shit about certain things anymore.

When a man is five years old, success is _not_ peeing in his pants. When he's twenty-five, success is fucking all night. At fifty, it's money. A general in his sixties measures himself by how much power he has. Then he goes over a hill and returns to his childhood.

I'm old, so old I won't tell you, M. Let's just say I'm old as dirt. I can't fuck for twenty seconds, let alone all night. I've got all the money I need or want. I've got lots of power, but it doesn't move me the way it used to. Success for me once again is _not peeing_ my pants. The only thing that's left besides that is the truth.

And the truth is that you've got one of the most beautiful families I've ever seen. Hold on to that, no matter what happens. Hold onto that. Both your wives are intelligent, fearless, and billionaire fuckable. There's not a woman in this shithole place that can hold a candle to either of them. These women are all second-tier titties compared to what you've got at home.

And the thing that was most impressive to me today was that, despite all that they are, your wives are unflinchingly loyal to you. They were flawless, worthy of all the credit; and yet they put you ahead of themselves. That's priceless, man. Your wives make me proud. They represent everything I hoped for when I was one of the first leaders who pushed for women to have every opportunity in the Army that's afforded to men.

I'm a feminist. I believe women are equal to men. Hell, in most ways, they're superior to us. Your wives make me proud to be on the right side of history when it comes to respecting and promoting women in the military. Hold on to your family, man. Keep it together at all costs. And whatever you do, don't let these born insecure motherfuckers get to you in the least. You understand what I'm telling you?"

Hobbes held M's arm until M relented and clumsily nodded that he agreed and understood what the wise old general was saying. Satisfied, Hobbes turned his attention back to Destiny and the other dancers in the private V.I.P. room. He cheered, "Good. Now enough of this pink panty crappola. I've got plenty of money, ladies. And I'm ready to spend it. Somebody bring me a rack of those second-tier titties!"

* * *

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Autumn turns to winter,  
And then winter turns to spring.  
It's not just for seasons you know,  
It goes for everything.

It's even true for voices,  
When boys begin to grow.  
You gotta take a lesson from Mother Nature,  
And if you do you'll know.

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Day by day, it's hard to see the changes you've been through  
A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you  
Every boy's a man inside, a girl's a woman too  
And if you wanna reach your destiny, here's what you've got to do

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

**Ending Scene Song: ****_Time to Change _****by The Brady Bunch**

**Credits Song:****_ Planet Earth _****by Duran Duran**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies and other media quoted in this chapter include _Blade Runner, Desperate Housewives, Sanford and Son (Season 3, Episode 22), The Birds, Dolomite._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Time To Change_ by The Brady Bunch and_ Planet Earth by _Duran Duran.

(3) It initially appears that the source of friction among Helena, M and Afrida was to be Helena's insistence on following through with dismantling the romantic relationship with Afrida in order to help the goddess remember her identity. However, we learn in this part of Chapter 9 that for M, and probably Afrida when she finds out, the primary issue will be Helena's perceived infidelity with the Man From Dallas. This issue has bubbled to the surface after being covered over for more than a year. The effects of grappling with this marital challenge will ripple through the entire family; and have devastating effects on the spouses and their child.

In depicting the impact of the family breakdown on Quinn, I was partly inspired by the HBO documentary _Don't Divorce Me_. This film explores perceptions about divorce from the perspective of small children of divorced parents. The kids offer some profound advice for divorcing parents, based on their personal and painful experiences with family disintegration.

As just one example, parents who are in the midst of marital problems have an almost gut instinct to "shield" their conflicts from their children. According to the children, this does more harm than good for several reasons. First, even small children are incredibly attuned to drastic changes in family routine and conflict between their parents, even if they don't say anything about it. Second, the children generally wished they had more control over their lives during their parents' breakup, which would have been helped significantly by open, honest communication. Third, despite the efforts of parents to hide their marital troubles (which really aren't hidden), if things blow up then all of a sudden children are forced to deal with devastating and drastic changes without warning. In this chapter, Helena, M and Afrida are behaving in typical ways, which causes some predictable effects on Quinn.

(4) Afrida's schtick in the Sonoran Desert about her bra being all dirty is taken from a scene from _Desperate Housewives_. It's from the character Katherine's (played by Dana Delaney) erotic dream about her ex-stripper housemate, Robin (played by Julie Benz). To see the scene, **_Youtube "desperate housewives robin dream,"_** which will pull up several clips of Robin in her dirty lacy bra. Robin gets dirty with maple syrup, not vampire blood.

(5) During her sultry exchange with General Hobbes in the Sonoran Desert, Hobbes says that Afrida is a just a "poor, innocent victim of her circumstances." Afrida replies that she is "neither poor nor innocent." These lines are from Alfred Hitchcock's _The Birds_. The character Melanie Daniels, played by Tippi Hedren, is speaking with the character Mitch Brenner, played by Rod Taylor.

I used many inspirations in constructing the character of Afrida/Aphrodite. One of the most significant influences was the characters played by Tippi Hedren in the only two Hitchcock films in which she starred, _The Birds _and _Marnie_. However, it was Tippi Hedren's real life story that most inspired me. I used the real life horror story of Hedren's experience with Hitchcock to construct the myth of Aphrodite being cast from the heavens.

In real life, Tippi Hedren was a young, unknown single mother (her daughter is actress Melanie Griffith) at the time Alfred Hitchcock happened to see her in a diet soda commercial. Hitchcock, while clearly a movie genius, was a seriously flawed human being. He had numerous deep-seated insecurities associated with his looks, weight and age. He also had an obsessive stalker-type fixation with finding and representing his ideal of perfect womanhood and femininity, which was always a beautiful blonde who didn't display overt sexuality. Hitchcock is quoted as observing, "Blondes make the perfect victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints."

Hitchcock was the undisputed Zeus of his time. In his heyday, he sat atop the Mount Olympus of Hollywood. Hitchcock had worked with several notable "goddesses," including Ingrid Bergman in _Notorious_, Grace Kelly in _Rear Window_, Kim Novak in _Vertigo, _Eva Marie Saint in _North by Northwest_, and, of course, Janet Leigh in _Psycho. _These beautiful goddesses were to Hitchcock like Athena and Artemis to Zeus. Hitchcock produced great work with them, but none of them quite compared to his fascination with Hedren.

Hedren was Hitchcock's Aphrodite. As in the Greek myth, Hitchcock quite literally "made" Hedren into an A-list star. He was her Hollywood father, plucking her from the obscurity of a diet soda commercial and casting her in his sequel to _Psycho_, _The Birds._ Hedren was such an unknown that Hitchcock even played this up in promos for the film. Hitchcock's instant attraction to Hedren was so intense that he signed her to a seven-movie contract before he ever met her in person. This very act said something disturbing about the depth of Hitchcock's controlling nature. He was so confident in his ability to mold Hedren into whatever he wanted her to be that he didn't feel the need to actually meet her before "marrying" her.

Hitchcock had good reason to think this about Hedren, since he had been able to so effectively manipulate and control his other muses. For example, he insisted repeatedly while working with Kim Novak that she lighten her hair color to fit with his blonde archetype. Eventually succumbing to Hitchcock's relentless pressure, Kim Novak gave in, saying, "All right then, I'll do it. I don't care anymore about me." Novak was an established actress at this time, and she still found it impossible to thwart Hitchcock's browbeating. Hitchcock, therefore, had no reason to think an unknown single mother with no financial resources would be any better at resisting him.

Like Aphrodite in my constructed myth, Hedren's supreme god of a father's fixation quickly transformed from slightly mad director to crazy perverted sexual stalker. His training sessions came complete with biting insults and sexually explicit limericks. Hedren repeatedly resisted Hitchcock's increasingly lewd and overt sexual demands. The more she resisted, the more obsessive he became. Although he did manage to control her in other ways, like insisting that she wear hot pink lipstick, which she detested, during the entire filming of _The Birds_, even when she wasn't filming.

The interactions and power struggles between Hedren and Hitchcock behind the scenes of the _The Birds_ is a compelling story in its own right. If you have a moment, **_Youtube "the birds attic scene."_** The background story of this scene encapsulates the extent of Hitchcock's obsession and his level of cruelty over being spurned. This scene is more frightening than the shower scene in _Psycho_ because it is real. The scene was one of the very last to be shot. By the time the cameras started rolling on this scene, Hitchcock was thoroughly pissed at Hedren for her many rebuffs.

Hedren had been repeatedly assured that Hitchcock was going to use mechanical birds for the scene, the same as had been used for the attack scenes with children. Hitchcock kept secret, however, that he always planned to use real birds as a way of punishing and traumatizing Hedren for rejecting his sexual advances. The entire crew, almost all male, knew about Hitchcock's plan, and became increasingly agitated as time closed in to shoot the scene, but no one told Hedren.

Hedren didn't find out that real birds were going to be used until the very last minute. She was warned by a guilt-ridden but very frightened crew member. Hitchcock was god back then, and nobody who wanted to work in Hollywood crossed him. Hedren endured five days of shooting with real ravens, gulls and pigeons. Some of the birds were tied to her body, and one of them almost gouged out her eye. The scratches on her face are real.

Hedren's second film with Hitchcock was _Marnie_, a film that depicts the emotional scarring of a woman who has experienced childhood sexual trauma. The film plays out Hitchcock's own twisted fantasy involving Hedren. The male lead, played by Sean Connery, essentially kidnaps Marnie, forces her to marry him and have sex with him as a kind of "therapy" to induce her to remember her childhood trauma and get over her sexual repression, to "be a normal woman" and enjoy being with a man sexually.

Some insiders say that seeing Hedren perform convincingly in a role where she is essentially stalked and concedes to the sexual aggressions of her stalker threw Hitchcock over the edge into full blown psychopathic obsession. Hedren had to decide whether to succumb or resist. She resisted, and was cast out of the heavens of Hitchcock's film empire, and never starred in the same caliber of films again.

Imagine the strength and courage it took for someone in Hedren's vulnerable position to resist someone as utterly powerful as Hitchcock. She paid the price with her career. However, the goddess Hedren has been redeemed significantly, in much the same way my myth promises for Afrida/Aphrodite. History is now presenting her story. And while Hitchcock will always be regarded as a genius, Hedren far surpasses him in the "moral victory" category. She has since acted in more than fifty film and television projects, including projects scheduled for release in 2013 and 2014. None of them come close to _The Birds_ or _Marnie._

Finally, Jonathan Fergus suggests that the risen Aphrodite's greatest legacy is the elevation of other strong women who come after her into "goddesses." In my story, those two goddesses are Pam and Tara. In real life, several A-list Hollywood actresses who have achieved significantly more critical acclaim and material success than Hedren cite Hedren as one of their greatest inspirations.

The real life story of Hedren's resistance to the Hollywood Zeus of her time and will to maintain her self respect has raised up a generation of new, strong Hollywood goddesses. As just two examples, Academy Award Nominated actress Naomi Watts used Hedren's Melanie Daniels in _The Birds _and _Marnie _in the so-titled film as deliberate inspirations for her role in _Mulholland Drive. _

Academy Award Winning actress Jodie Foster also cites Hedren as a personal inspiration. In 2008, Foster did a _Vanity Fair_ photo spread paying tribute to Tippi Hedren in _The Birds. _To see the photo **_Google "Jodie foster the birds."_** If you click on the feature by .net, you can also see photo tributes to other Hitchcock films.

(6) Seven of the top ten strip club names are located in Phoenix, Arizona. I did not vote in this poll. I'm not sure who did. I just looked up the information. Writing authentically takes one to some strange places, I know. But I do it for you. LOL. And I'm overly curious about all sorts of things. The top seven strip club names, which are located in Arizona are, in order from number seven down to number one: _Teasers_, _Bandaids, The Blue Moon_, _Bottoms Up_, _Dick's Cabaret_, _The Great Alaskan Bush Company_, and _Juicy Lucy's_. M, Quinn and their Washington guests visit a fictional strip club that amalgamates the top two Phoenix club names. Hopefully, that's enough engineering for me to claim plausible deniability that I've ever visited any of these places of ill repute (I have not), and protect the guilty.

(7) In the song, _Time to Change_, by The Brady Bunch, the character of Peter Brady didn't actually do the funny croaking voice, as depicted in the TV episode. The identity of the real voice remains a closely guarded secret among The Brady Bunch cast and crew. **_Google "brady bunch time to change"_** to see them perform the song.


	10. TTC 2 - Family Strife Affects Quinn

**Epic Love Story – A Pam and Tara Novel**

**Chapter 10: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Time To Change, Part 2**

(Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn)

**_Author's Notes:_** Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

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**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

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**Trigger Warning: **There is no nonconsensual sex in this chapter, but there is a very strong scene that is sufficiently suggestive of nonconsensual sex that it may bother some people.

I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

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**_Manhattan, New York: Tuesday, September 7, 2010_**

Quinn entered his apartment quietly. He didn't know if his mother was home, but he didn't want her to see him. He had called a cab to pick him up from _Juicy Lucy's Big Bush Club_, then made his way back to the Sonoran Desert Army Base. From there he teleported to a base outpost in New York City and hailed a cab home to his apartment on the Upper West Side.

Normally Quinn would have taken the train, which he actually enjoyed; but he noticed people staring at him as he walked through the hallways of the teleport station. He eventually realized they were staring at the bulge in his pants. He didn't know why, but the stares and other looks made him uncomfortable. He just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Quinn sensed for his mother. Thankfully she wasn't home yet. He went to his room and took off his uniform, stripping down to his Superman boxer briefs. He was hungry, for what he wasn't exactly sure, maybe more milk and chocolate. He went to the kitchen and grabbed two candy bars from his personal shelf in the pantry. He noted that there were only seven bars left. His stock was getting low and would need to be replenished soon. He checked the refrigerator. There was no more milk, but there was a little bit of fruit juice. His mother hadn't gone shopping for groceries in over a week.

He thought for a moment about what else he might be craving, then opened the freezer. He pulled out a three-pound pack of frozen hamburger meat and plopped it into the microwave. Quinn understood how to work the microwave because he used it often to make popcorn. He figured out how to put the setting on defrost, pressed the button and waited. When her heard the _bing_ that signaled the defrosting had finished, he pulled out the package of now soft bloody meat.

Quinn stared at the raw, bloody hamburger meat for a moment, then tore into the package. He grabbed large handfuls of raw meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He scooped and scooped, devouring the whole thing in less than five minutes. He licked his lips and grunted, savoring the taste. He very much liked both the rawness and the bloodiness of the meat. He checked for more, but there wasn't any in the freezer.

Quinn made quite a picture as he stood in the middle of the kitchen, 6'4" and 245lbs of lean, chiseled muscle, wearing form-fitting blue, yellow and red Superman boxer briefs. He also wore matching Superman socks, complete with tiny red capes flowing from the cuffs. He unwrapped the chocolate bar and threw the wrapper in the trash. There was no need to keep the wrapper because Quinn always inhaled his chocolate before it melted.

Quinn slowly chewed on his chocolate bar, savoring the sweet, just slightly bitter taste. It had been a long day, and he still wasn't over his failure during the AV weapons testing demonstration this morning. But sweets made him euphoric, and he felt the terrible memory of this morning slowly dissipate.

As he strolled out of the kitchen and back toward his room, Quinn began to feel tingly all over. The tingling started somewhere inside him and quickly emanated throughout his entire body, all the way out to the tips of his fingers and down through his toes. He tried to contain the feeling, as he had the few times it had happened before. But this time the feeling wouldn't be contained. His body started to shake uncontrollably, so much so that he fell to his knees. His vision blurred, but he could make out his left hand still gripping the remains of his candy bar.

Quinn tried to crawl, but eventually doubled over and gripped his stomach. He grimaced and tears flowed from his eyes. The pain centering in his stomach and flowing throughout his body was the worst kind of pain he had ever felt in his life. His breathing was labored. He could hear himself trying to catch air, his chest heaving up and down rapidly. Quinn's android mind tried to help him. It ran an internal diagnostic and suggested that he stop trying to fight the vibrations flowing through his body and just relax. He tentatively did this for a few seconds, and to his relief the pain in his stomach seemed to subside.

But the relief was only temporary, as sharp jolts stabbed him all over. The stabbing seemed to be most concentrated in his stomach. He had the sensation of a slimy river flowing up from his stomach through his esophagus and pushing up through his throat. His mouth started to water. Something needed to come out. Now. He scurried on his knees to the bathroom. Something told him to go to the toilet.

Quinn sat poised over the toilet, his mouth open. He waited. Then his stomach contracted on its own and he heard himself retching. At first there was nothing. Then he retched and retched and opened his mouth. Suddenly all the chocolate he had eaten rushed out. Then some of the raw meat. He threw up until that cramping feeling left his stomach. Most of the regurgitated chocolate and meat went into the toilet bowl, but some of it spilled onto the edges of the toilet rim and the floor.

Quinn's mouth tasted like putrid chocolate and bile, but he didn't care because his stomach felt so much better. He fell backwards onto the floor, not feeling the cold tile on his back. He felt exhausted. After his stomach calmed down, he raised his left hand and found the remnants of his candy bar still in the clutches of his fingers, which were coated with melted chocolate. He suddenly couldn't stand the smell of chocolate, which was odd because chocolate had always been one of Quinn's favorite things.

He threw the chocolate bar in the toilet, then flushed. He knelt in front of the sink and scrubbed all the melted chocolate off his hands. He tried standing. He was tentative, but found it was okay. He remembered that his bladder felt full. He stood back away from the toilet and worked to urinate. It was hard because of the erection. Quinn didn't get very many erections, so he had little practice with peeing in such a condition.

As he urinated, Quinn felt the same vibrations again and started to panic. He heard a low growl come from his throat. Suddenly, his eyes began to glow bright orange. _Shifting. I'm about to shift_. Quinn couldn't remember why, but he knew he didn't want to shift.

He used all his energy to tamp down the feeling. He concentrated all his energy on not shifting, until the vibrating feeling went away and the orange glow left his eyes. Unfortunately, because Quinn used all his energy to keep from shifting, his mind didn't concentrate on peeing straight. He missed the toilet. He didn't notice that his urine had an unusually strong and pungent smell.

Quinn made his way into his room and collapsed on his bed. He was exhausted but not ready to sleep yet. He remembered that the Chillers channel was showing a horror movie marathon all week. He turned on the television and blankly stared at _Psycho_, the original version with Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. He liked this movie. It made him smile.

His cell phone rang. He felt around for it on his bed and answered. "Hello."

"Hi, Quinn. Just checking on you. Are you okay?" Afrida's voice flowed into his ears.

"Yes, I'm fine," Quinn lied. Then he quirked his brow. His android mind raced. He had just done two things he had never been previously able to do. The first was lie. He always had to answer truthfully, giving a painstaking amount of unnecessary information.

The second thing was quirk his brow as a response to an unexpected surprise. It wasn't that Quinn couldn't physically quirk his brow; but he had never understood the expression's various nonverbal meanings. Nor did he understand the many appropriate times that warranted such a countenance. The only time Quinn previously quirked his brow was as a sign of confusion.

Now he found himself amused at both his sudden ability to lie, and his separate ability to nonverbally express surprise at that suddenly realized talent. He was off in his head wondering what else he might now be capable of doing.

Afrida asked, "Do you have a cold? Are you impersonating someone from a movie?"

Quinn answered, "Neither. Why do you ask that?"

Afrida answered, "Because your voice is almost two octaves deeper. And, I don't know, your cadence is different … more flowing."

Quinn reiterated, "No."

There was several seconds of silence. This would normally be time filled with Quinn speaking for long stretches about not having a cold, or not impersonating someone in a movie, or exploring in-depth why his voice might suddenly be two octaves deeper.

Afrida asked, more than a little confused by Quinn's sudden stoicism, "Sooo, how was your evening with M and the boys?"

Quinn immediately responded, "It was nothing. We had steak."

Afrida pressed, "Did you go to the strip club?"

Quinn was minimalist in his reply, "Yes."

"What happened?" Afrida asked after several seconds of silence.

"The generals drank lots of alcohol. There were women there dancing," Quinn said.

Afrida asked, "Did someone dance for you?"

Quinn's response was prompt but short. "Yes."

More silence. "And what happened when the woman danced for you?"

Quinn paused for a brief moment, looking down at his erection. He decided to practice lying again, "Nothing. I just left." Before Afrida could ask another question, Quinn wound down the call, "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Afrida sounded even more confused. Before she could say anything else, Quinn hung up the phone.

**# # # # #**

Helena rushed into the apartment and headed straight for Quinn's room. She had not been the most tuned in to their Were bond during the past two weeks, but the pain bolting through to her from Quinn's end was too resounding to be ignored.

She opened Quinn's door and found him lying down with his back to the door. This time Helena didn't stop at the threshold. She walked straight over to her son and sat on the edge of his bed.

She jostled his shoulder, feeling a little antsy about what might be wrong with him. "Quinn, are you okay? I felt you earlier."

No answer. Helena pulled him over and found his eyes closed. She shook him harder now. "Quinn!"

Quinn calmly opened his eyes and stared at Helena, unblinking. After several seconds, he said, "Yes, Mother."

Helena was initially taken aback when her son turned over, by both his appearance and the sound of his voice. She admittedly had not focused on him very much over the past two days. Between being under so much pressure at work and arguing with M, she had really just communicated with him in passing. More to the point, if she was honest, she had been avoiding him, afraid of his questions and needs because she didn't have the energy for them.

Quinn had a five o'clock shadow that looked more like a full day, maybe more, without a shave. It was as if his hormones were pumping out hair in overdrive. His slightly curly, pitch black hair was longer and his eyebrows thicker than she had seen them in years. He obviously hadn't been to the barber in a while. Helena suddenly remembered, with guilt, that Afrida usually accompanied Quinn to get his haircuts.

Quinn was an extremely handsome man, but always in a military, superhero, clean-cut kind of way. Now, with his unruly hair, five o'clock shadow and … _something in his eyes _… he now looked ruggedly handsome. _Dangerously _handsome. The kind of handsome portrayed in movies in which the normally level-headed heroine allows herself to be swept away against her better judgment. Try though she might, she just cannot resist whatever dark adventure he's pulling her into, even though she knows deep down its going to involve danger to her life, criminal activity and fucking. Lots and lots of fucking.

But what made Helena stop moving for several long moments was her son's voice. Quinn had always had a deep voice, even when he was a child; but the two words he just spoke were noticeably closer to bass than his normal middle baritone. And the cadence was flowing and melodic, not monotone or rigid.

Helena asked her son another question, mostly to make sure she wasn't hearing things. "Are you sick? You were hurting earlier."

Quinn replied in the same deep, melodic voice, "I was ill, yes. But now I'm fine."

"Well, what was wrong?" Helena still looked worried.

"Just something I ate. I'm fine now, Mother. I'm going back to sleep." Quinn started to roll over. Helena held his shoulder. Quinn's eyes widened as she moved her hand down to check his stomach. He didn't know why, but he didn't want his mother to see his erection. He wasn't embarrassed, but something told him she wouldn't like it.

Quinn pulled on his sheet against Helena's downward push to uncover him. He said somewhat harshly, "I said I'm fine."

Quinn's behavior was confusing and disturbing to Helena. He sounded … angry_. _Very angry. It suddenly occurred to her that Quinn had probably heard her and M arguing. She replayed the past two weeks, and with increasing guilt realized that there were wide gaps of time for which she could not account for Quinn. She didn't know what was going on with him emotionally, or how he had been spending his time.

Helena checked in with the Were bond. Quinn was agitated, confused, and … then suddenly nothing. It took Helena a moment to realize that her son was blocking her access to his emotions. _When did he learn to do that?_

Quinn interrupted her thoughts with, "I'm going to sleep now."

Helena urged, "Quinn. I … I'm sorry that I haven't been focused on you lately. I'm sorry I haven't really been around. Would you like …? Do you want to talk to me about what's been going on? Do you want to talk about anything?"

Helena flooded her son with warmth and love from the bond. Quinn felt his mother's love and warmth. He thought for a moment. He had been distant from his mother for some time now. He realized in that moment how much he missed her. He was confused by his sudden urge to shift tonight. Maybe he could talk with his mother about that. He was feeling … out of sorts. Maybe he could get back to his old self with her help.

He felt warm as his mother ran her fingers through his hair. Quinn started, "Well, I …"

Helena heard the door opening. It was M. She looked for long seconds toward the door. She wanted to go to her husband, but she also wanted to stay with her son. The distraction of M coming home and Helena's conflict about where to focus her attention took up all her energy for a moment. The flood of warmth she was directing toward Quinn dissipated, and the glimmer Helena thought she saw in her son's eyes disappeared.

Quinn's voice was cold again as he said, "It's okay, Mother. General M needs to speak with you."

Helena was still wavering, trying to decide what to do; but she could hear M's thoughts, and he wasn't happy. Quinn rolled over and said, "Good night, Mother."

**# # # # #**

Helena walked into her bedroom, still agitated about Quinn. She found M sitting on the edge of the bed, slamming down his shoes on the floor. He stood and undressed. Helena didn't need to read her husband's thoughts to tell that he was drunk. He smelled of too much alcohol.

Helena closed the door, wary of M's mood. He spoke out loud, but didn't look at his wife. "It was a lovely evening. I was so happy to hear in varying terms how I am such a fuck up, but thank goodness Generals Helena and Afrida saved the day. I am very lucky to have a wife like General Helena, so calm and in control; and able to execute kills in an unplanned field test that I couldn't perform in a controlled environment. Apparently, you are the modern woman."

Helena didn't believe the conversation went exactly as M described. She knew M well enough to know that he was likely exaggerating because he was a perfectionist and couldn't bear falling short, even a little bit. But she didn't want to antagonize him.

Helena sat on the edge of the bed and whispered, "I didn't ask for that, MacArthur. I was just trying to help. We're in this together. I wasn't trying to … outshine you, or belittle you. I also felt … bad … because I know that my … our conversations about Afrida … I know you weren't at your best, partly because of me."

"Partly?" M asked facetiously.

"Okay, you didn't perform well _because_ of me. It was all my fault. And I tried to fix it." Helena didn't want to argue with M anymore.

M came over to Helena and stared down at her. His eyes weren't focused, and he slurred his words slightly. "Yes, you're very good at fixing things, Helena. You mean well. You have strong views about what direction to take in a given situation. You are a true general. You support your troops and your family admirably."

Helena sensed that M was getting angrier as he spoke. She tried to soften his mood. "I tried MacArthur, to take care of you. That's all I was trying to do. That's all I want."

M smiled, but the smile wasn't cheerful. It was aggressive. "Really, my beautiful wife. You want to take care of me. Well then, this is one of those rare occasions when we are on the same page, because right now I want you to take care of me."

M roughly unbuttoned Helena's jacket and pulled it down her arms. He then proceeded to methodically unbutton her shirt. Helena remained silent. She could read his thoughts. She knew he wanted sex.

M's thoughts were more despondent angry than pissed off angry. He wasn't calling her a bitch in his head. She was tired and not particularly aroused at the moment, but Helena decided that she could work her mind around to this, especially if it would bring the two of them closer together.

M looked somewhat surprised when Helena helped him finish undressing. When they were both nude she pulled him down on the bed. He pulled back and said, "One more thing. I want to be on top."

Helena took a deep breath. She had prepared to have sex with M even though she wasn't entirely in the mood. She figured slowly connecting with him would eventually get her fully aroused. But M's request to be on top was not something Helena was sure she could accommodate right now.

Helena had been engineered to be the alpha by her human makers. At times she wondered whether they took some pleasure out of giving her this role and contrasting it with M's inbred drive to be a soldier, to fight and conquer.

Basically, their makers had concocted a dynamic that invited constant war between husband and wife. In reality, Helena and M had resisted the destiny given them by their human makers. M had compromised significantly, by accepting the beta role and all that went with it. Afrida's presence had helped immensely to bridge the gap between the two of them. She gave M the opportunities for dominance that the conquering soldier craved, and simultaneously relieved Helena from fighting against her innate desire to dominate and never be submissive.

Despite all of this, Helena operated on principles of fairness, and some amount of guilt. She understood the depth of M's compromise out of love for her, and as often as possible she fought against her hard wiring to yield to M's dominance. There were, however, practical considerations that had to be navigated. Helena needed some warning and time to mentally accept the idea. She did not do well with demands. In fact, the way she was wired made it impossible to respond to them, and M knew this; which translated to Helena that although he was asking for sex, he was really looking for a fight.

Helena knew her husband well. He was calculating, especially when motivated by anger; and excellent at chess. She deduced her husband's possible goals in demanding something he knew she couldn't give, and didn't like any of the prospects. She didn't have much time to think, however, because M had flipped her on her stomach and was pressing into her, mounting her.

Helena closed her eyes, trying to breathe and clear her head. She told herself she could do this, and if it would make M happy she would try. But then she felt his hand gripping the back of her neck, and the instincts that had been bred into her kicked in against her will. She abruptly raised her head against the downward pressure of M's hand and her eyes glowed yellow. She bucked and kicked, which sent M partially airborne. He had anticipated this, and gripped her arm with one hand and the side of the bed with the other.

Helena was momentarily caught off guard when she felt air between their bodies, quickly followed once again by M's weight on top of her. Helena's eyes glowed even brighter, and she growled low in her throat. She heard M growling above her, followed by the feel of his knee forcing her legs open and his free hand slipping underneath her to raise her hips. His other hand continued to grip the back of her neck.

Helena lost it when she felt him trying to enter her. Without thinking, she kicked the back of her heel straight up, connecting with her husband's testicles. He yelped in pain, and before he could recover she raised her body and head sharply upward, slamming into his nose. She used the bit of space she created to quickly turn over and around to face him. Her teeth glinted and she growled as she hit M hard in the chest, which catapulted him off the bed and into the wall.

M got up and sped toward Helena. She evaded. He grabbed. She blocked. They kept at this for several minutes until Helena gained the offensive, gripping M's hair with her fist, then wrapping her forearm around his thick neck and squeezing. She was almost feral as she squeezed M's neck, intent on causing him pain and showing him why he should never again attempt to force her into sexual submission.

Helena focused intently on this goal, until she caught sight of her husband's reflection in the large glass window across from their bed. He wasn't fighting back, and she saw that his eyes were glistening. He was breathing deeply, his intake low and raspy. The one and only time M had come close to crying was when their human creator, Dr. McFadden, was dying. He looked and breathed the same then as he was now. Helena had never seen her husband cry, and she didn't want to.

The alpha wolf retracted her teeth, which she had bared as she fought her husband. Her death grip around M's neck loosened as she brought a hand to stroke his face. The other hand parted his hair. Still pressing her chest against his back, Helena kissed the top of M's head and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, MacArthur. But you knew this would happen. I can't help it."

When the arguments first started, Helena had wished for her husband's silence. Now she wanted more than anything for him to say something. Anything. She implored, "MacArthur, please. I'm sorry. Let's just … go slow. I'll try. I promise."

Helena continued to stroke and kiss M, but he just sat still. He looked catatonic, except for the slow, deep breathing. She disliked the vacant stare. It scared her. She whispered, practically begging now, "MacArthur, say something."

To Helena's relief, M opened his mouth to speak. But her relief was going to be short lived. M said, no feeling in his voice. "I'm going to ask you three questions. I want you to promise to give me an honest answer. Do you promise?"

Helena's heart started to race, but what else could she do? She whispered, "Yes."

M said in the same monotone, "My questions are simple. I want yes or no answers. No caveats. No explanations. First question."

Helena tried to sense her husband's thoughts. He made great effort to block them, but not before she picked up _Man From Dallas._ Helena suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

M said, "How many times had you seen or spoken to the Man From Dallas before you fucked him in July 2009."

Helena wanted to flee the room. She gripped M tighter, thinking how to answer. M's words broke apart her thoughts. "How many times, Helena?"

"Let me explain …" Helena started. M cut her off. "I'm sorry, Helena. I guess I asked a compound question. I retract. First question. Did you ever see and/or talk to the Man From Dallas at any time, for any reason, prior to July 2009? Yes … or no?"

The silence filled the room. M asked, his voice elevating and angry now. "Yes … or no?"

Helena took in a deep breath and said, "Yes."

M blinked several times, but otherwise didn't move. He stoically asked, "Now, how many times did you see or speak with him, for any reason whatsoever, prior to July 2009?"

When he got no answer, M asked, "One?"

No answer. Pause. M blinked.

M asked, "Two?"

No answer. Pause. M blinked.

M asked, "Three?"

No answer. Pause. M blinked several times.

M asked, "Four?"

No answer. A very long pause. M blinked and breathed in deeply.

M asked, his voice breaking slightly, "Five?"

No answer. Helena prepared to answer and then explain when M reached the number six. But he didn't. Instead, M blinked repeatedly as he said, "We wisely decided that perhaps fidelity and eternal marriage might have to mean something, different, for beings who live such long lives. It's not a sixty, seventy, even eighty year commitment. Eternity means something much, much longer for us.

We knew that each of us at some point would crave conquests. Adventures. New experiences. Stories to tell. So we accepted that longing and desire, and incorporated it into our marriage. Virtually nothing is off limits, provided that permission, advance permission is requested.

We even made a contingency rule for the rare occasion when advance permission isn't possible. Post disclosure. But of course this was reserved for, I don't know, you're stranded in Antarctica with no cell phone service and a beautiful Werepenguin wants to fuck your brains out. That doesn't provide an exception for, I don't know, wanting to fuck a short vampire in Dallas, Texas where cell phone coverage is excellent.

You wanted this encounter, Helena. And you wanted it all for yourself. It was premeditated. You had the forethought to send a text message. A message that gave no hint of what you were doing.

You've always been a stickler for rules, Helena. Especially the rules of your marriage. Hell, you called or texted me and Afrida for permissions that barely invoked the rule. Make out sessions with beautiful fairies. Fondlings and sharing of blood with sexy vampires. Sensual wrestling with that French stewardess werewolf you met while on assignment in Angola. Yet you didn't call to say you wanted the experience of taking dick from some short shamanistic vampire?

Knowing you as I do, Helena, I could think of only one reason why you would keep such a secret. You had to have known this person previously, and developed some kind of emotional attachment.

Which brings me to another rule of our marriage. No sexual encounters with people we know or with whom we've had previous encounters. You. You, Helena, were very firm about this rule. You felt that it solidified the notion that such adventures were always about us, and not a separate experience between one of us and another outside our marriage. It's funny that both me and Afrida, who isn't the most rules-oriented person mind you, have been able to follow this rule perfectly during the course of our marriage.

Helena interjected, still holding on to M, "I know how this sounds, MacArthur. But it's not like that. I didn't go out to dinners with him. I didn't plan to meet him places and …"

"No," M stated firmly. "You've had plenty of time to proactively discuss this. You never brought it up on your own. You wanted to avoid it. This has been hanging over our heads for over a year now.

Which brings me to another rule of our marriage, and my second question. Second question. Have you at any time to date told Afrida about your July 2009 fuck with the Man From Dallas? Yes or no?"

Helena protested, "I didn't fuck …"

"I retract and rephrase," M said calmly. "Have you told Afrida anything about your 2009 "spiritual encounter" with the Man From Dallas? Does he know that you engaged in some undefined spiritual activity in his bed?"

Helena sighed and whispered, "No." This time her voice cracked.

M lamented, still not moving, "We agreed that problems, or issues if you would rather delude yourself with that word, would be discussed by each spouse with the other spouse. No he said she said. Direct and open conversation among all three of us. Your … encounter with the Man From Dallas clearly falls into such a category. Yet you haven't broached this discussion with Afrida.

I've held this in, waiting for you to do the right thing. Waiting for you to follow your own rules. But you seem intent on trying to sweep this under the rug. You hate admitting you're wrong, Helena. You don't like apologizing. Don't you think Afrida and I know that. We let you get away with it 99% of the time. But this is too big for that. It hurts me too much, and I don't understand it, so I can't just forget it.

Helena once again interjected, "MacArthur, I…"

"No!" M forcefully cut her off. "You think this is about poor Helena, trying to save unwitting Afrida and fighting against selfish MacArthur. Only Helena knows what's right and best for everyone, if only her stupid family would fall in line. That may be what it's about for you, but it's not for me. And I'm sure it won't be for Afrida, either. There are _three_ spouses in this marriage, not one.

Being the alpha isn't about imposing your will and expecting blind obedience. It's about being someone who others follow because they trust and believe in you. I'm not resisting you because I don't believe in you. I resist you because I don't trust you, and I can't trust you until we deal with this issue."

Helena started, "MacArthur, I …"

"No!" M blasted. A pool of water filled his eyes, but he fought to keep them in. Then calmly, "Now. Question three. Final question."

Helena held her breath, because the questions weren't getting any better; and M wasn't letting her in his head to get a clue about what he was going to ask. The minute she heard the question, she instantly knew that M's demand to mount her sexually was never a real demand, but instead a well-played, calculated move to get to this discussion point.

M calmly asked, "When you fucked the Man From Dallas, how much deference did you give to him?"

Helena shook her head, "What are you …?"

M asked, more forcefully now, "When you fucked the Man From Dallas, did you let him mount you? Were you submissive to him? Did you let him get on top and fuck you?"

Helena felt trapped. She started, tears falling from her eyes, "I … please …"

M, who this entire time had sat so still he seemed almost dead, suddenly sped sideways. Before Helena could process what happened, M had grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the mattress. He hovered over her, pressing into her.

Helena looked up at M. Now _he_ looked feral, his fangs bared. His eyes glowed yellow and he was growling loudly. Helena willed herself to keep her hands at her sides and relax her body underneath him, so as not to antagonize him further. She briefly glanced down, aware of his erection barely pressing into her, poised to enter. She read his thoughts and knew what he was contemplating. She swallowed, because he was currently fighting within himself about what he would do.

M growled out, "Did you let him be on top? Did you give him willingly in a one night stand what you just viciously fought over … against me, your husband of more than a hundred years? Yes … or no?"

Helena looked up at MacArthur. She now ignored how dangerous he looked on the outside, because he had stopped fighting her invasion of his thoughts, and she knew that on the inside he was crying. On the outside, his eyes were full of water, which made his feral stance more tragic than threatening.

M repeated, Yes … or no?"

In that moment, Helena wished she could turn back time and change her decision to share flesh with the Man From Dallas. She wished that she had at least called M and Afrida in advance and told them what she planned to do.

Helena took a long, deep breath and whispered, "Yes."

Immediately after she said that word, Helena watched as the first tears her husband ever cried fell in slow motion. For only a single second, one long stream out of each eye poured out of M. Two thundering, angry splashes plopped onto Helena's face. M blinked back the rest of his tears. Then his eyes widened, as he processed that he had actually cried.

Before Helena could say anything, M sped away from her and into their bathroom. Helena heard him throwing up. She could tell herself it was all the alcohol he had consumed, but she deliberately avoided his thoughts because she knew the real cause of his regurgitation.

Helena lay prone, numb. She watched M barrel out of the bathroom and get dressed in a blur. He sped out of their bedroom. Then their apartment door opened and shut as M zoomed off into the night. He didn't say where he was going, but Helena already knew.

**# # # # #**

M didn't slow down until he was blocks away from his apartment. He moved on autopilot, unable to think. He slowed his speed to a brisk walk as he made his way to the nearest Army teleport station. Destination – Washington, DC.

M didn't know what would come tomorrow, or in the coming days and weeks. A predictable family routine used to stretch out before him like a straight road through the flatlands of the Sonoran Desert. But now all he saw was a bumpy, uneven terrain that afforded little visibility of what lay ahead.

The only thing he knew for sure was that at this moment, MacArthur Stoker hated his bitch wife, one Helena Wolfe.

**_Manhattan, New York: Wednesday, September 8, 2010; between 3:00 – 4:00 am_**

Despite the silence that now blanketed her apartment, Helena couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, which felt like a large open space because two of its usual occupants were missing. Helena got up, left her bedroom and walked down the hallway to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

On her way there she passed by Quinn's bathroom. She stopped as the smell hit her. Her nostrils flared. Urine, and not just urine. It was pungent. Quinn hadn't shifted since he was eight years old, but every now and then his tiger hormones kicked in and changed the scent of his urine. Apparently, this had happened tonight.

She thought about waking Quinn and making him clean it up, but she remembered that he hadn't been feeling well and gave him a pass. Quinn was usually quite neat and this hardly ever happened. Besides, she needed something to do since she couldn't sleep.

Helena drank her glass of water, then entered Quinn's bathroom with cleaning supplies. She turned up her nose at the sight of putrid chocolate and something red and unrecognizable – _meat, maybe _- on the toilet seat and floor. And the hideous smell of cat piss. _I hate cat piss._

Helena periodically thought this in her mind as she scrubbed and rescrubbed Quinn's bathroom. Helena was tired and unfocused, so she wasn't attuned to the fact that her son could now read her thoughts. Had she had the presence of mind, literally, to look around inside her head, she would have turned around to see a tiny tiger cub sitting quietly in the corner of her mind.

That tiny tiger cub was, in Helena's mind, behind her, watching and listening as she knelt on her knees scrubbing the toilet. But Helena was emotionally upset and physically exhausted, so she didn't see that little tiger cub sitting in the corner of her mind, scowling each time she complained about the stench of cat piss. She didn't realize that her booming thoughts about the hideousness of cat piss were flowing from her mind into Quinn, who lay awake in his bedroom next door.

**# # # # #**

Dr. Quinn McFadden, the brilliant Army scientist who led the Army research team that used the emerging knowledge of quantum physics to create M, then Helena, and later Quinn, had died several decades ago. At the time his creations were made, the military had no long term plans for them beyond war. The Army brass imagined that at some point, M, Helena and Quinn would get killed, as they were placed in increasingly dangerous situations. But the three of them exceeded Dr. McFadden's wildest dreams, and by the end of World War I he had grown to love them. By the time World War II started, Dr. McFadden was no longer a detached scientist, but more like a devoted father to his creations.

Helena, like many women, longed to be a mother. She grew despondent when she learned that she was not created to bear children. Dr. McFadden, who could not bear to see his created daughter unhappy, diligently searched for a solution. One day he excitedly came to her and M with a promising idea. According to the popular history known to most people, the first test tube baby was Louise Joy Brown, born July 25, 1978 in Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, England. However, the first ever test tube baby _was in fact_ Quinn, later surnamed Blake, who was born to MacArthur Stoker and Helena Wolfe on September 20, 1936.

Dr. McFadden used the remaining genetic material he had from the organic android, fairy, maenad and vampire, but he needed a Were to create the bond with Helena. He searched for a comparable wolf, but had no luck. He then chose a Weretiger that he believed had similar, very strong alpha attributes. He also gave Quinn a separate in vitro infusion of Godric's blood, since he still had regular access to the willing vampire.

Dr. McFadden implanted into Helena an unfertilized egg having all the vampire, fairy, maenad and organic android attributes, plus the Weretiger, encoded already. He then created "active sperm" for M that contained all his attributes except the wolf. Finally, Dr. McFadden chemically stimulated estrus, a fertile period, in Helena. This made her and M interested for the first time in mating with each other and Helena capable of conceiving a child. This fertile mating period lasted for eight weeks. Prior to this time, Helena and M considered themselves a couple, but theirs was a sexless union.

Dr. McFadden called the inducement of estrus his gift of a special honeymoon period, to be followed by a true, consummated marriage for his children. M and Helena would retain their sexual desires and bonding for life, although it would be imperfect and not as complete as imprinting in regular wolves. However, Helena wouldn't be able to naturally bear any more children.

M and Helena mated repeatedly for eight glorious weeks, enjoying her period of estrus, with Helena intermittently waiting for results from pregnancy tests. She conceived during the seventh week of estrus and had a normal pregnancy. Well, as normal as could be for a wolf carrying a tiger baby.

To create the building blocks for Helena's conception of baby Quinn, Dr. McFadden used the same leftover components, minus the wolf, used to create M and Helena. This consisted mostly of organic android. As a consequence, Quinn's makeup was primarily comprised of the android component. However, Dr. McFadden had a theory that each of his component parts had a strong, innate drive to manifest itself. He believed that Quinn would struggle, but would eventually go through a kind of puberty wherein his non-android components would "make up for lost time." The danger in this, he feared, was that when these suppressed parts within Quinn finally manifested themselves, they would be raging and uncontrollable.

Dr. McFadden made plans for his creations to have a life after he died. In the face of significant resistance, he gave M and Helena control of the very program that had created them. On his death bed, he expressed to a tearful Helena and a brimming with tears M his concerns about their son who bore his name.

_Dr. McFadden's death was the only time that M almost cried, as he held his creator's hand. Dr. Quinn urged M and Helena to listen to his warnings. "You and Helena aren't just brother and sister. You're almost like twins. Your highly duplicative genetic makeups have been passed along to your son, which means he's going to get the best of the best of you, but also the worst of the worst of you. How that plays out is honestly an unknown to us all._

_We … I, played god with the three of you. I don't regret it for one moment. Look at you. You're … so beautiful. How could I regret making you? But, you two need to be prepared for your son's emergence. You will have to deal with it on your own, and it could be frightening. He's not what he's going to be yet. He seems developmentally delayed because the android part of him is controlling and blanketing everything. But that's not going to last forever. It simply can't. It's a rule that cannot be broken."_

_Dr. McFadden was very weak and just days away from dying, but in that moment he gripped both Helena and M with all his strength and intoned them to listen to him. "Each of you has five lives within you. In the two of you, those five lives are mature and tempered because you were born as fully formed adults. But your son is much different. Right now, the only life manifesting itself in young Quinn is his android self. But at some point those other four lives within him will come forth. They will fight for survival. They will demand manifestation, and when they do they will emerge nascent, pure id and absolute desire._

_We fooled ourselves into thinking we could control everything, even life itself. But the kind of control we attempted … it's uhm … it's not possible. If there's one thing that the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands into new territories and it crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously. But … life finds a way." _

**_Manhattan, New York: Wednesday, September 8, 2010; between 3:00 – 4:00 am_**

At this very moment, while Helena was furiously cleaning Quinn's bathroom, trying to wash away both his cat piss and her guilt about her betrayal of M and Afrida, life was finding a way to break through within her son. It started with blood, the image of it, tricking down the back of Quinn's eyelids. The trickle became a stream. And then the stream became a flood. Quinn's vampire aspect filled him up, all his empty spaces.

But then the blood wasn't red anymore. It became black and pressing, as Quinn's maenad self fought for recognition. Then a bright white light coursed through him and emanated from his fingertips, as the fairy part of himself demanded authority. Then Quinn's eyes glowed bright orange. The fierce tiger within him started burning bright, asserting its lawful right to roam and kill. Quinn felt like his head was going to explode; and the only way to relieve the pressure was to open the floodgates and let everything spill out.

Quinn was born on September 20. Like his currently unknown brother/uncle Eric Northman, Quinn is a Virgo. As any armchair astrologer knows, at his best, Virgo Quinn is extremely analytical, normally quite neat, observant, helpful, reliable and precise. But at his worst, Virgo Quinn is skeptical, self-righteous, argumentative, inflexible, cold and interfering. He is also highly rules-oriented, which can be the best or the worst of him, depending on the particular circumstances.

For example, in the best circumstances, Quinn's rules-oriented nature makes him obedient and completely trusting of his mother. He was a son who gave his mother absolutely no trouble and immense joy. Quinn's Virgo sensibilities also make him focused, loyal, devoted to his family, and somewhat wolfen in nature. In short, he usually gels with and brings out the very best in his mother Helena.

This is good, because Helena was born on August 12. She is a Leo. Her leonine sun sign gives her some help in relating to her tiger son. As any armchair astrologer knows, at her best, Leo Helena is confident, ambitious, generous, loyal and encouraging. But at her worst, Leo Helena is pretentious, domineering, melodramatic, stubborn and vain. Helena is normally calm, as long as she's in complete control. But just under the surface is a fiery temper waiting to be unleashed.

Virgo, rules-oriented Quinn had been listening outside his parents' bedroom door, extremely shocked as he heard his father list off the many marital rules his mother had supposedly broken. The favored son fully expected to hear his mother slamming his beta wolf father against walls, putting him in his place for daring to accuse her of doing something so heinous. But then Quinn listened in confusion, followed by surprise, followed by seething anger, as he heard his always-by-the-book mother answer "yes," affirming that she had in fact broken rule after sacrosanct marital rule.

Perhaps it was the stress of all his parents' fighting, the disruption of his home life and the shocking revelations he had just heard. Perhaps it was just time for his other inner lives to find a way to break through. Or maybe it was some unknowable combination of nature and nurture. Whatever it was, perhaps hearing his beloved mother confess her sins was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Quinn returned to his room and curled up on his bed. He cried for the umpteenth time since his parents started arguing and his entire world was turned upside down. Then something happened, and his inner vampire, fairy, maenad and tiger began speaking. First they were a whisper, then a resounding cacophony.

Baby maenads want nothing more than to relish the natural world, which includes both life and death, as well as sex and music and food and lust.

Baby fairies want nothing more to dance and sing, enjoy mischief and mirth, and yes, they also want sex and lust. As the Man From Dallas noted to his daughter Helena, the fairy drive to satiate its lusts with others does not necessarily depend on the willingness of the object of said lust.

Baby tigers want nothing more than to roam and control a territory. And alpha tigers, of which Quinn was one, wanted to dominate as much territory as possible. And they want lots and lots of sex. Tigers have notoriously high sex drives, and are capable of mating more than fifty times in a single day.

Baby vampires want nothing more, of course, than to eat, fuck and kill.

Frighteningly, all of these baby aspects of Quinn would have a highly advanced and developed android mind at their disposal to help them accomplish their goal of satisfying their every desire. Quinn's mature android mind knew how dangerous all these babies were, and managed to contain them for almost seventy-four years.

But now all the babies were coordinating and forming a coalition, essentially telling Quinn's android mind to step the fuck off. Quinn's android mind was going to be given a new job, whether it wanted it or not. The android's core responsibility would no longer be containment, but damage minimalization for the sole purpose of allowing unfettered satiation of the four babies' every want and desire. The babies gave Quinn's inner android its first assignment, which was to block the Were bond between Quinn and his mother, who was scrubbing away in the bathroom next door. That way, this five-way negotiation could take place without interruption. Although actually, it was a two-way negotiation, because the four babies were aligned into a single coalition.

While his mother was cleaning the bathroom and blasting out mentally how she hated cat piss, Quinn's android mind was engaged in the battle of its life, and it was losing. Quinn flailed on the bed, clutching the sheets. Inside, his inner android worked to prevent the babies from coming to fruition and taking hold. But as Quinn's android mind fought to protect its front from the baby vampire and baby fairy, its flank was maliciously attacked by the baby maenad and baby tiger.

Truth be told, Quinn's android mind was fucking tired. It had worked overtime for decades, its circuitry whirring nonstop. It savored the prospect of simply managing, coordinating and advising, rather than shouldering everything by itself. Quinn's android mind badly needed a fucking vacation, so it listened despite itself when Quinn's vampire, maenad, fairy and tiger components whispered the promise of much needed rest in its ear.

On the outside, Quinn's hands glowed white with fairy light. His vampire fangs were bared; and his eyes changed back and forth between full black maenad pools to glowing orange tiger beacons. His eyes eventually settled on a compromise, a bumblebee background of black sea with orange streaks swimming back and forth therein.

Quinn felt the exact moment when his android's protection systems were fully and irrevocably breached. It was Wednesday, September 8 at 3:42 am, Eastern time. This is when all five of Quinn's parts, four ravenous babies and a mature android, reached a truce and harmonization agreement. Quinn abruptly sat up in his bed and simultaneously retracted his fangs, turned off his glowing hands and recessed his maenad and tiger eyes. His inner android had been beaten into submission, and was now on board with working to give the four babies everything they wanted. All five of his components were now, completely and totally, self-aware and working together.

Quinn quirked his brow as he heard his adulterous bitch mother think _I fucking hate cat piss._ Quinn, in the form of a tiny tiger cub in Helena's mind, scowled, showed his teeth, and emitted a silent roar at his mother.

Quinn thought to himself _you've really got some fucking nerve, bitch. You broke every rule of your marriage. First you send away Afrida, then tonight you send away General M. You single-handedly tore apart our family; and you have the fucking nerve to be up on your high horse about a little cat piss. Pullease._

Quinn had never been able to put together such a complete and angry thought before. He savored it as his emerald green eyes moved slowly over the upper wall of his room, looking at nothing in particular. He felt a haze of desire wash over him. His hormones coursed through him like lightening drawn through a rod and transformed into an electrical current. Quinn felt alive. Awake. Hungry. He wanted to see, hear, smell, taste, feel, touch, eat, fuck; for the first time in his entire life. He allowed himself a devilish half-smile as he said out loud in his suddenly melodic, deep base voice, "And to think, I resisted."

Quinn heard his mother finish cleaning his bathroom and go back to her bedroom. He waited until he heard her door close, then he purposely walked out of his room and went into the bathroom. He looked at the gleaming spotless toilet and floor that was now totally free of chocolate, raw meat and cat piss. He turned up his nose as he inhaled the annoying scents of pine soil, Clorox bleach and other cleaners.

Quinn's eyes glowed bright orange. He was not just a tiger, but an alpha tiger. Alpha tigers need to roam a wide territory that they control exclusively. Yet he now found himself sharing a relatively small, enclosed territory on the Upper West Side in Manhattan with an alpha wolf bitch. Said alpha wolf bitch was also accustomed to unfettered control over her entire territory. Something was going to have to give.

It is a basic rule of the natural world that two dominant alpha predators cannot peaceably occupy the same territory without harming each other. The most respectful things that two alphas can do is to chart out their personal territories, ensuring that they do not overlap. Once boundaries are established, it may be possible for the two alpha predators to co-exist in close proximity with each other.

Tiger Quinn, being a Virgo, was eminently respectful of rules. So he decided to make the first salvo toward keeping his Upper West Side apartment a happy home and peaceably sharable with his alpha bitch mother. He slowly turned back and forth in a semicircle as he peed all over the toilet, floor and tub. He then strolled down the hall and peed a path that encompassed half the kitchen and his bedroom.

After Tiger Quinn finished marking part of his territory, he returned to his bed. He fell asleep savoring the sweet smell of his markings, which signified that his bedroom, his bathroom, and part of the hall and kitchen belonged to him. He planned to mark his part of the living and dining rooms tomorrow when he had more pee.

**_Washington, DC: Wednesday, September 8, 2010; between 3:00 – 4:00 am_**

Right now, the goddess was pissed off. Afrida lay nude and reclining, her back resting against a pile of lush pillows on her bed. She relaxed in her two-bedroom apartment in the Watergate Co-op. She sometimes gazed out of her window, which overlooks the Potomac River.

Her self-pleasuring session lasted much longer than expected, extending through both American Idol and Glee and well into late night television. She didn't cum until Chelsea Letterman was saying "goodnight bitches." And after hours of _handy work_ (the pissed off goddess smirked at the double entendre), she found herself only able to accomplish a release that felt far away and lackluster, as opposed to brilliant and explosive. The end result is that she was more frustrated than if she had never embarked on the woefully un-erotic journey in the first place. This pissed her off.

Afrida, for some reason unknown to her, sometimes found it difficult to be in Manhattan. As much as she loved Helena, M and Quinn, and wanted to be with them all the time, she found that sometimes she just needed to get away. She could always tell when she needed to get away because she felt this sudden bout of nausea. It wasn't sickness exactly, but more of a feeling of … aversion. She generally avoided the Upper East Side and Harlem, which helped her immensely. Perhaps there was something in the air in those particular parts of town that made Afrida feel this odd avoidance urge.

Whatever the reason for Afrida's periodic episodes of weariness with Manhattan, M didn't care. He purchased the Co-op in the Watergate for his wife. The whole family had keys and often spent time there, but everyone knew it was purchased primarily to serve as Afrida's get-away. It was a place where she could escape from whatever caused her sudden Manhattan-related angst. Those feelings were usually mild and went away after a couple of days.

Cyprus was new and unusual. That was the first time Afrida had ever felt physical pain, true illness, as a response to a place, or anything for that matter. It was more than just a feeling that she couldn't stay there any longer. Afrida had felt the worst physical pain she could ever recall feeling. She had to leave Cyprus immediately. She couldn't even wait to tell Helena.

Somehow Afrida knew it wouldn't be good for her to go to New York, so she headed straight to Washington, DC from Greece. But now the goddess was ready to return to her home in Manhattan. She had been ready for some time, but Helena had imposed this separation for which she had thus far given no explanation. This pissed Afrida off, a lot.

At first, Afrida worried that Helena was angry because she just abruptly left Cyprus without saying goodbye first. But as time passed, that just didn't make sense. Helena was her wife of more than sixty years, and she knew full well that sometimes places made Afrida sick. So the pensive blonde could think of no logical explanation for why Helena was behaving the way she was. This pissed her off.

Perhaps Alexis Stavros mistranslated the documents she discovered in her Cyprus cave, or perhaps the worshipers of 4,000 years ago got the story wrong. Zeus did not _kill _the goddess Aphrodite's light. It was more accurate to say that he _changed _the goddess's light into something brilliant but dark, because right now the goddess was pissed; and an ominous bright light was emanating from her ocean blue eyes. The light glowed on and off with no regular pattern, intermittently brightening her room. A distant neighbor looking into the goddess's window might think it was light from the television.

But Afrida had turned off the television after the Chelsea Letterman show ended. She was now lighting up the wall with her own eyes, as she periodically reached in a basket that sat next to her on the bed. The basket held a Mediterranean assortment of pitted olives, mandarins, figs, persimmons, pomegranates, and pistachio nuts. She mused bitterly that right now she should be in her California King bed in Manhattan serving this fruit of the gods to her wife and husband after a night of mind-blowing sex. The fact that she was in Washington, DC, all alone, pissed her off.

And then there was Quinn. Something was definitely wrong with her son. Afrida guessed he was hurting because of all the craziness going on with his parents. She wanted to be there with him and _for him_, especially after speaking with him tonight. Quinn's voice was different. She tried to figure out exactly how it was different, and then it came to her. Not only was his voice a full rich base that was noticeably deeper than it was just earlier that same day, but it wasn't his normal staccato robotic monotone. Quinn's voice was suddenly … flowing, melodic, almost … _sensual._

And his behavior was just … it was like she was talking to a totally different person, a stranger she had never met before. Quinn needed attention. Now. And the fact that Afrida was essentially being prohibited by Helena from giving her son the attention he needed, for hitherto reasons unknown, was really pissing her off.

Afrida heard her front door open and shut. Without really being conscious of it, she blinked off the pulsing light from her eyes. They once again looked like her usual cerulean orbs. Afrida sensed that it was M, and she waited for him to come in to her.

The goddess watched as her husband entered the bedroom without looking at her. He silently undressed until he was completely nude, then lay down next to her. She opened her arms and he instinctively nestled his huge muscular body into hers.

Afrida stroked his head and ran fingers lovingly through his hair, listening to his breathing. Then she heard him try to withhold a sob, then breathe erratically. Soon MacArthur gave up all pretenses and lay in Afrida's arms, crying openly.

As Afrida listened to the first sobs she had ever heard from her husband, the light behind her eyes began to glow again. This time it was much brighter and more rhythmic than before. Afrida heard his thoughts. _I just want to go to sleep. Please. I'm tired, and I just want to sleep._

M's goddess wife periodically kissed his face and shushed him as her hand, now pulsing with light, caressed the top of his head. Light from Afrida's hands shone through M's pitch black hair, but he didn't see this because his eyes were closed. Afrida kept caressing him as she whispered, "Shhh. It's okay. You're going to sleep now. A deep, restful sleep."

Afrida didn't understand why all this hurt and pain was necessary, and the one person who had all the answers to date wasn't talking. This pissed her off to the point of seething. Afrida didn't know what the future held. The end of the agreed truce with Helena was eventually coming. Oh yes, that day of reckoning was coming, although the goddess had no idea what it would portend.

The only thing she knew for sure was that at this moment, Afrida Erasmus hated her bitch wife, one Helena Wolfe.

* * *

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Autumn turns to winter,  
And then winter turns to spring.  
It's not just for seasons you know,  
It goes for everything.

It's even true for voices,  
When boys begin to grow.  
You gotta take a lesson from Mother Nature,  
And if you do you'll know.

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Day by day, it's hard to see the changes you've been through  
A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you  
Every boy's a man inside, a girl's a woman too  
And if you wanna reach your destiny, here's what you've got to do

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

**Ending Scene Song: ****_Time to Change _****by The Brady Bunch**

**Credits Song:****_ Planet Earth _****by Duran Duran**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies quoted in this chapter include _Jurassic Park, Dexter and Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Part of Dr. McFadden's warning to M and Helena about Quinn, regarding how life finds a way to break through and survive, is quoted from Jurassic Park. The description of Quinn's transformation into a fully self-aware being is taken from Dexter. It is the character Dexter's description of the killer inside himself, what he refers to as his "Dark Passenger." Quinn's line, "And to think, I resisted," is from Hellbound: Hellraiser II. It is uttered by Dr. Philip Channard, just after he undergoes the painful transformation into a cenobite from hell._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Time To Change_ by The Brady Bunch and_ Planet Earth by_ Duran Duran.

(3) Information about Quinn and Helena's Virgo and Leo characteristics came from a website called zodiac signs.

(4) We learn that Eric Northman is a Virgo in True Blood Season 3, Episode 9. Nan Flanagan comes to Fangtasia looking for the missing Magister. Nan notes that the dungeon is suspiciously clean, despite the fact that a glamoured Ginger discloses that the dungeon has never before been mopped. Eric replies that he's a Virgo and likes to keep things neat.


	11. TTC 3 - Interlude Between M and Afrida

**Epic Love Story – A Pam and Tara Novel**

**Chapter 11: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Time To Change, Part 3**

(An Interlude Between M and Afrida)

**_Author's Notes:_**

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

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(1) Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

(2) A guest reviewer, who I am unable to respond to personally because they reviewed as a guest, noted that based on my original chapter estimates, we should have about four or five more chapters before we get to the Pam and Tara chapters. Since others may have this same notion, or question, I thought it worth addressing. My original chapter estimates were estimates, and not totally accurate estimates in retrospect.

Going into this I knew the major themes and plot points I wanted to cover in each chapter; but I didn't know how many words it would take me to cover those plot points. It turns out that I am a prolific writer, and the complexity of the themes and number of characters I have created is a lot to cover. Each of the original 15 or 16 Planet Earth chapters I plotted are well over 40,000 words per chapter.

I hope to never again give you all a chapter that is as long as Chapter 8, my Man From Dallas (_aka _Godric) Opus, which clocked in at over 40,000 words. I felt that chapter really needed to stay together and not be broken up for the sake of story flow. I don't feel as strongly about the other chapters, so essentially I've been breaking up my original 15 or 16 chapters into more digestible parts as I go along. This also allows me to update more frequently. The new chapter count for the Planet Earth chapters now stands at 25 chapters. I have revised the Table of Contents to reflect this.

For those of you who invested in this epic story and are longing for Pam and Tara, they are coming. This, I promise you. :). I started this adventure with a specific set of new characters, themes and plot ideas, all of which will be important in the Pam and Tara chapters, but which take time to establish in the Planet Earth Chapters. I have not added anything to my original Planet Earth Chapters. I have merely broken the original very long chapters up into shorter ones. I hope that I have worked to make the writing engaging enough and am updating fast enough that you don't get bored.

Part of the reason why I am updating so frequently is because I also am kind of reading along with you, and I am just as anxious to get to Pam and Tara. I promise you that nothing you are reading now is useless. Every plot point and new character will be a part of Pam and Tara's universe, and will advance their story, albeit some more than others. I am like Quinn in a candy store as I write the Planet Earth chapters. I love Helena, M, Afrida and Quinn alone, but they are going to be wonderful as part of Pam and Tara's world. I also can't wait to get to the Pam and Tara chapters and have you experience the numerous _a-ha _moments, both big and small, as you see connections and parallels between Pam and Tara's story and something you read in the Planet Earth chapters. So please hang in there. For those of you loving this story so far, everyone with Pam and Tara will be, well … epic, and more than worth it.

I don't know if I will pull this off, but my rough goal is to finish the Planet Earth chapters and the chapters about Pam and Tara in their universe by the same time that TB Season Six is going on. That way, just as TB Season 6 is ending and we are all suffering from withdrawal, we will have 100 original chapters of Pam and Tara's Epic Love Story left to enjoy.

(3) Speaking of breaking up long chapters, I originally broke this current chapter up into three parts. It is now broken up into four. This first segment with M and Afrida was originally the first scene of Part 3. But reviewing it makes me feel that it kind of stands on its own, so I am giving it to you now as a little surprise.

Work is very busy now, so I probably won't update again until Sunday or Monday. I know many of you are anticipating Helena's reaction when she discovers how Quinn so graciously decided to demarcate shared alpha space in their Upper West Side apartment. _Hint: She will be extremely pissed. _(Pun intended. :))

(4) I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**(5) I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

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**_Washington, DC: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_M Thinks Through Helena's Affair_**

M woke up but didn't open his eyes. He took a moment to enjoy being awake but still in bed. His inner android contained many clocks, which told him it was just after 6:00 a.m. It had been a long time since M had slept in this late, and he was relishing it. It had also been a long time since he was so well rested. It had actually been a little more than two weeks since he had gotten a good night's sleep, but it felt like an eternity.

M was a family man, and he slept best when his entire family was together. He understood that Afrida occasionally needed to be away in DC, but he never liked it; and always longed for her return. Similarly, he hated assignments that took any member of his family out of town, even for short periods of time. He had developed a special kind of hate for such trips ever since July 2009 and Helena's affair with the Man From Dallas.

M enjoyed the simple comfort of a firm mattress and soft pillows beneath his head. He inhaled gently, taking in the wonderful and complex scents of Afrida that permeated the sheets, her body, even the very air of the apartment. M felt Afrida move, easing her body from underneath his, but he still didn't open his eyes. Instead, he concentrated and remembered where he was, in Washington, DC, in Afrida's apartment. He then recalled the circumstances that led him to be there.

M felt a pang when he remembered his fight with Helena, and her answers to his questions about the Man From Dallas. But he felt an even greater despair in his heart when he recalled how drunk he had been and his level of anger. He remembered being on top of his wife and pinning her down, and how he had contemplated forcing himself inside her as he demanded to know whether she had allowed the Man From Dallas to mount her. He felt ashamed and thanked god that he had won that battle with himself.

M shuddered at the thought of what he almost did, especially because he recalled the look in his wife's eyes, and her resignation. He knew that if he had violated Helena she would not have stopped him. He was going to have to communicate with his wife; ask for her forgiveness. He would do that later today. But he also felt a deep sadness because underneath his shame and regret, there remained much of the same anger and hurt that had driven him to the calculated fight he had orchestrated with his wife last night.

M had been drunk, but he had enough presence of mind to set his android brain to record the conversation. In fact, he had recorded all of his conversations with Helena about the Man From Dallas. M had a Were bond with Helena, which had formed during her period of estrus and their mating that created Quinn. It was not nearly as strong as Helena's Were bond with Quinn, but it was sufficient to allow M to sense Helena's feelings.

So many thoughts flashed through M's mind at the same time. Images of his family. Images of his argument with Helena from last night. Images of other arguments with Helena over the Man From Dallas. And then out of nowhere M's mind turned to his conversation from last night with General Hobbes.

M remembered Hobbes's admonition to him to, what was it? Hold on to his family? Fight to keep his family together? Those may not have been the old general's exact words. M couldn't remember because he was so drunk and he didn't set his android brain to record the conversation. But he was pretty sure Hobbes had told him, in essence, to fight to keep his family together at all costs, because it was a rare and beautiful thing, his family.

M, being the well-trained, hard-wired soldier that he was, began to focus on the words _fight for family_. It suddenly occurred to him that that is what he had been feeling like for the past two weeks, like he was fighting a battle, a weird kind of battle. Yes, that was it. M was suddenly sure he was in the midst of a battle, but he couldn't identify the enemy. Whoever the enemy was, it couldn't be Helena, because Helena was most definitely a part of his family.

M's heart started to race a little as he worked through this problem. His mind went to the numerous briefings he had attended on the so-called_ War on Terrorism_. It had been hammered home to him and other generals that this war was a "new kind of war" that didn't comport with the rules of engagement of a traditional war involving countries or political regimes or even dissident factions within a locale. Terrorists could be tiny sleeper cells, or lone individuals. They could operate without the aegis of a government, and obtain large amounts of financial support from private individuals who believed in their cause.

The first thing a good soldier did when assessing a new military engagement, a new battle, was figure out the rules of that engagement. The rules were … there were no rules, at least until you figured out the rules. M was such a good soldier because he made it a practice to start out every engagement as if it was brand new, as if he knew absolutely nothing about it. This left him open to new possibilities and dangers that others couldn't, or wouldn't see.

M couldn't count how many times his career had advanced, he had won a battle, and quite literally, he had saved his own life because he did nothing more complicated than have an open mind. Seeing this breakdown of his family as a battle just like any other helped M to put aside his personal hurt and anger, and start to see things more clearly. Somehow, he knew he was going to have to do this if he wanted to eventually figure out what the hell was going on with Helena.

Being rested for the first time in two weeks also helped, immensely. M's mind jolted him, and suddenly his eyes were moving back and forth behind their lids. He remembered something that he knew was crucial to understanding Helena's encounter with the Man From Dallas. M recalled what he had sensed of his wife's feelings each of the times they had discussed the Man From Dallas, including last night. He had never noticed this before, because he was always so angry, but now, with rest, he did.

M recalled that extramarital sexual conquests meant different things for him, Afrida and Helena. Such encounters gave M an opportunity to dominate a sexual partner; and they occasionally satisfied idle curiosities about different kinds of sex or different sexual partners. For curiosity's sake, M could be dominant or submissive, depending on what the encounter called for. Afrida was much the same way. She reveled in new sexual experiences for their own sake, and was versatile when it came to creating the experience she sought.

Helena was different from M and Afrida in regard to what she sought in outside sexual encounters. Helena brought the same rigidity to her recreational sexual encounters as she did to her marital lovemaking. In fact, as M went through his mental list of Helena's conquests, they were decidedly all alike in that each and every one of them satisfied the same need. Helena's outside sex was, in a sense, not about sex at all, but about conquest and dominance. It was not even primarily about attraction.

M had watched Helena experience attractions, sometimes intense attractions, to other beings; and she never acted on them. She appreciated the attraction for what it was, and needed nothing more. At most, the attraction might inspire Helena to act out some aspect of her fantasy in her marital bed with M and/or Afrida.

As M mentally listed Helena's conquests, including the French werewolf in Angola, the various vampires, humans, fairies and Weres she had bedded, even her greatest conquest of all, her undisputed dominance and ascension over an entire pride of beautiful and ruthless lionesses, they all had one thing in common. The conversation, the dance if you will, started with the other party in some way, verbally or non-verbally, boasting that they could not be sexually dominated and conquered. Helena's interest and desire was piqued by the promise of being the one to prove them wrong.

Because of Helena's singular need to sexually conquer, she was always the dominant sexual partner in _every_ single one of her extramarital conquests, _except _for the Man From Dallas. _Why was he the exception_? The obvious answer was that Helena had developed some kind of emotional attraction to him. _Okay. Okay. Remember the attraction. What did it feel like?_

M knew that, excluding the Man From Dallas, the only two people Helena had ever allowed, albeit rarely, to sexually dominate her were himself and Afrida. M also knew that his wife was hard-wired to resist being dominated, and it required extensive mental and emotional preparation for her to get around this hard-wiring. He recalled the times that he had mounted Helena, or that Afrida had been the sexually dominant partner with her. He remembered the openness and adoration in Helena, the complete trust, and the intense level of sexual arousal.

Helena's intense sexual arousal when she was submissive stood out to M as a significant and necessary factor in the experience. It was like a drug. _Yes, that was it._ It was as if the intense sexual arousal was a kind of drug that deadened Helena's hard-wiring and allowed Afrida to take control or M to mount her. That intense level of sexual arousal … _and sexual love, yes? Yes, that's more precise – sexual love … _was a necessary component of Helena's submission to M and Afrida.

For Helena, the act of submitting sexually was such a big deal because that submission continued long after the physical act was over. That submissiveness conveyed itself in the form of a kind of … _openness_, a feeling of being laid bare and exposed to the other. M felt it as a kind of beautiful background noise whenever he was in his wife's presence, even when they were just sitting together watching television or during a work meeting.

Yes, this intense sexual arousal, and more accurately, sexual love was imprinted on Helena when it came to M, and Afrida; and to M's knowledge, only with the two of them. _Yes, with both him and Afrida_, because M could also feel this same kind of intense, sexual arousal and love, this same warm "background noise" when Helena was in Afrida's presence. M also knew that the mere thought of him or Afrida stirred this profound sexual openness and warmth within Helena. He detected it for the past two weeks as Helena talked about needing to end the sexual relationship with Afrida. That intense feeling in Helena was there for Afrida, even though Afrida was in DC.

_Now the test._ M's heart raced as he searched the archives of his android mind. He linked his inner android and his inner Werewolf, so that he could assess the feelings he picked up from Helena as she had talked about the Man From Dallas. M was scared, but he pushed past this fear. Helena had insisted, repeatedly, that her encounter with the Man From Dallas was "not what it looked like" and "not what M thought it was." What Helena's encounter with the Man From Dallas looked like was an affair. Ditto for what M thought it was – an affair. An affair involving the same kind of sexual attraction and love that Helena held for M and Afrida.

Now that M had assembled his inner android and inner wolf to conduct a scientific investigation, he needed to construct a testable hypothesis. Here it is: _If Helena is telling the truth and her sexual encounter with the Man From Dallas was not what it appears to be (i.e., it is not a sexual love affair, a betrayal) then I should not find that same intense sexual arousal and love, that openness, that I detect within Helena for me and Afrida. _

_If, on the other hand, Helena feels the same kind of intense sexual arousal, sexual love and openness for the Man From Dallas, then I have good reason to doubt her truthfulness._

Having said the conclusions within himself, consciously, before the investigation, M took a moment to accept them. Then he said a prayer. Then he calmed his racing heart. Then he pushed himself to review Helena's feelings during last night's conversation about the Man From Dallas. His eyes darted back and forth as he nervously searched. _Nothing. Dear god, nothing. No sexual attraction. No sexual love. Yes. Okay. Are we sure? Yes. Yes. It wasn't a sexual love affair._

M became cautiously hopeful, as he reviewed one conversation after another with Helena, going all the way back to July 31, 2009, to the very first conversation about the Man From Dallas. _Nothing. _He sensed adoration. _Yes. _Affection and … love. _Yes. _But intense sexual arousal and sexual attraction for the Man From Dallas? _No. _Intense sexual love and openness of the kind Helena had for M and Afrida? _No. Thank god. No._

For the first time since July 31, 2009, MacArthur Stoker exhaled. He exhaled and felt a weight lift off his chest, and a measurable amount of pain that had been pressed against his heart float away. M felt tears fill his closed eyes, because for the first time in more than a year, he was a major step closer to believing in his wife again.

_Okay. Okay. We know what the Man From Dallas isn't. But what is he to Helena? If he's not a lover, then what is he? How could she possibly make love with him, and more importantly submit to him sexually, if she isn't in love with him and she wasn't sexually attracted to him? He is clearly a singular being, unique and special somehow. But why?_

M thus far had come up with the possibility that Helena regarded the Man From Dallas as some kind of spiritual shaman or guru. He wasn't happy with this, because it still placed this vampire sheriff on a never-before-seen tier in Helena's life, but it wasn't a love affair. M felt the sadness creep back in, but he held onto that proof. _It wasn't a sexual affair or a love affair. It wasn't an affair, at least not in the traditional sense of the word._

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**_M Sees Evidence of Afrida's True Identity_**

M was about to give his inner android and inner wolf the task of testing this next hypothesis, of trying to figure out what the Man From Dallas _actually was_ to Helena. He was about to try and figure out whether there was anything comparable in Helena's emotional memory bank to which he could compare the Man From Dallas, but he suddenly felt something soft, then something cold and metallic, brush across his face.

M cautiously opened his eyes, but didn't otherwise move. He blinked several times, because he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. He looked around Afrida's bedroom, and everything was … _floating_.

M closed his eyes, waited for a moment, and then opened them again. No, he was not hallucinating. And yes, everything in the room was levitating or floating. The soft object, followed by the hard, metallic object that had brushed his face were his work pants and belt buckle, which was hanging from the black Army issue belt that was still snaked through the loops of his military green pants.

M scanned the entire room. The settee in the corner – levitating. All of his clothes – floating aimlessly around the room. Afrida's nightstand and dresser – hovering in place, exposing dust marks on the floor beneath them. M slowly glanced up, and noted that he seemed to be closer to the ceiling than he remembered from last night when he fell asleep. He sensed that the bed he was in was also floating in place, as was the basket of fruits and nuts that had been next to Afrida when he arrived in the wee hours of the morning. The only thing in the room that wasn't levitating or floating was the 50-inch flat screen television that was affixed to the wall across from Afrida's bed.

M watched, astonished and confused, as a piece of moist cloth passed over the floor, wiping away the dust underneath the hovering furniture. It seemed that both his wives liked to clean when they were upset, although Afrida had a somewhat, shall we say … unorthodox approach, to housework.

M's eyes continued their scan of the room, searching until they found Afrida, who stood in a silk, sheer, royal blue ankle-length robe, gazing out of the large bedroom window. Her back was facing him. She didn't turn around, and seemed deep in thought. Her long, thick blonde hair was completely down and draped around her shoulders and upper back.

M noticed something strange about the window. It was approaching 7:00 am, and sunlight should have been shining into the bedroom, but instead the window was pitch-black and opaque. The bedroom was still dark, and the window appeared to shimmer and ripple, like a black pool of water. M regarded the rippling window more closely, and realized that images were being transmitted through the now opaque glass. He tried to make out what they were.

M saw what he thought was a scene of an ocean on a dark and stormy night, and waves beating against the base of a gigantic mountain. The mountain was foreboding, dark gray … black, maybe … and no words could describe the sheer size of it. M couldn't tell where the monstrous protrusion of rock jutting out of the ocean began or ended. The mountain stretched up and up, past thick, dark clouds. A brilliant, terrifying lightning storm, occasionally lit up the jagged mountain.

During one of the illuminations of the mountain being depicted in Afrida's bedroom window, M thought he could make out people, beautiful beings of some kind, running along indentations that seemed to form a kind of trail going up the mountain from bottom to top. M fixated on one of those beings running along the path of the mountain in the window. It was a beautiful woman, with thick, flowing, blond tresses. She was dressed in a stunning, elaborate royal blue chiton, a flowing, one-piece fabric commonly worn during the Hellenistic period. M could tell from the blonde woman's body, gait and demeanor that it was his wife, Afrida. _Where was she? Where was this mountainous place? And how is my wife making this picture come through the window?_

M had so many questions. And then he noticed that it wasn't just the lightning storm in the picture that was lighting up the scene in the window, but a bright, intermittently blinking light that seemed to be coming from within Afrida. M recalled that he had seen this light emanating from his wife before. The first time was the very night they met back in 1944. But never before had that light been so bright and … powerful.

To M's knowledge, Afrida was a water nymph. M closed his eyes, and his android mind did a quick search to refresh his memory on everything he thought he knew about water nymphs. He recalled that water nymphs, obviously, liked water, so the scene of the ocean was not surprising. They could control bodies of water, maybe use the seas and oceans to travel throughout Planet Earth. They had some powers of divination, or foretelling the future; and some ability to heal others. Nothing M could find in his searches said anything about levitating objects, powerful glowing lights emanating from within their bodies that could do god knows what, or projecting images through windows.

As he was thinking, M had the strange sensation that his mind and body were separating, then floating out, away into many parts, then coming back together, in a cycle that rhythmically repeated itself. He once again opened his eyes, and had no way to process what he saw. His pants, the dresser, the rug on the floor, the television affixed to the wall, even the wall itself, seemed to break apart. M's mind somehow recognized that all the objects in the room were distilling into their component parts, their very atoms, then reconstituting themselves. M had never conceptualized something like what he was witnessing, let along seen it, in his entire life.

M looked down at his own hand, and realized that _even he_ was being broken apart and put back together again. He felt like he was having some crazy out-of-body experience; and with each physical separation he felt like he was, quite literally, going out of his mind. Up until this point, M had been coping with everything he was seeing – the levitating furniture, his floating clothes, ominous images in an opaque window that should instead be filtering bright sunlight into the startlingly dark bedroom, the bright light emanating from his wife, and the white cloth that was, even now, cleaning everything by itself. The dirt, by the way, became subatomic matter and disappeared as it was being picked up, so the cloth miraculously cleaned yet stayed bleach white.

However, M lost it when he saw and felt his own body and mind being broken apart. M didn't think he said anything, but he heard a voice in his mind scream, trying to drive away the impending panic and madness. In that moment, two things happened simultaneously. The first was that M suddenly recalled his conversation with Helena in which she confessed to him that she believed Afrida was a goddess, a goddess who didn't remember her identity. Suddenly, that idea didn't seem so ludicrous. The second thing that happened was that Afrida seemed to hear his screaming mind, and she quickly turned her head and was now staring straight at him.

M felt the hairs on the back of his neck, indeed all the hair on his body, stand up, as he saw the face of his wife. Afrida's eyes were literally glowing, her blue orbs replaced by two brilliant orangish-yellow beacons that shone as bright as two tiny suns. M saw his own skin radiate under her powerful gaze. He felt hot, like he was standing in the Sonoran desert at midday, as Afrida looked upon him. Despite the intense heat, the born soldier felt chills all over his body. For some reason, he had the terrifying feeling that he had been spying on something he shouldn't have seen, and he had just been caught.

M tried to stay calm. He told himself that this was his wife. This was Afrida, whom he loved and who loved him. Afrida, his wife, would never hurt him. Then suddenly his wife's glowing sunlight eyes switched off, replaced by Afrida's beautiful ocean blue orbs. The intense heat no longer burned his skin, and all the levitating furniture, including the bed he was curled up in, dropped to the floor with a loud resounding _thud_. M's clothes fell unceremoniously across his nude body and the bed.

None of this slowed M's racing heart, because Afrida remained standing in place. She was glaring angrily at him. M had the presence of mind to then remember that Helena had admonished him that it was important that he _not _tell Afrida that she was a goddess. He felt Afrida entering the mental ingress to his thoughts, and he quickly took the word _goddess _and shoved it behind a heavy door deep in the recesses of his mind. For safe measure he locked and bolted that door from top to bottom. He didn't yet believe Helena, but he knew letting Afrida see the word _goddess _was the same as making a decision. M hated premature decisions. He hated regrets, so he hid the word to give himself time to figure things out.

M managed to lock away the word _goddess_ before Afrida could see it in his mind, but not before she saw the door slamming shut and being bolted. He saw Afrida in his mind, glaring at that bolted door. He then looked up and saw his actual wife. The beautiful but dangerous-looking blonde was scowling at him now, as she levitated and floated toward him. M couldn't help the swirls of panic in his stomach.

As if she suddenly remembered that she didn't levitate, Afrida stopped floating and in one fluid step shifted to walking, effortlessly stepping out of the air and onto the floor. She strode purposely toward the bed and M. M recoiled slightly as Afrida came next to him and reclined partially across his body. She draped one of her robe-covered legs over his upper thigh and privates, rested one elbow on the bed and the other on his chest. She gazed down at him, still wearing the same unflinching glare.

M blinked and stayed still. He waited for his wife to say something, but long unbearable seconds passed as she simply studied him. She took the hand of the arm that rested on his chest and played with his hair. Then she calmly, somewhat coldly said, "Good morning, handsome."

M swallowed and replied, "G-good morning."

"How did you sleep?" Afrida asked, her eyes still boring into him, unblinking. _Did nymphs blink? _M couldn't remember. But he wished Afrida would fucking blink.

M answered, "G-good. Very good. And you?"

Afrida ignored the question and asked, "Why is Helena doing this to us? I know you know. Tell me. Now." Afrida's hand was still warmly running through M's hair, but her eyes were cold and unrelenting.

M carefully replied, "I – I don't … I don't know. I am worried that Helena may be … sick. I don't know." _This was still technically true, but this morning's mental investigation made him less confident that Helena was having some sort of maenad delusion. He left this last part unsaid._

Afrida responded too innocently, M thought facetiously, "Why would being sick make Helena keep me away? Nymphs are wonderful caretakers. And I am an _especially _good nurse. I even have the uniform to prove it. You remember, don't you, my love?" Afrida moved her thigh seductively over M's privates. The move warmed him, but M was too scared shitless to get an erection.

M replied, "Y-y-yes."

Afrida quirked a brow and asked, "Why are you so _n-n-n-nervous_?" The question was unmistakably taunting.

M quickly replied, "I'm not. Just stressed."

Afrida responded just as quickly, "I thought you just said you got a very good night's sleep. Why are you stressed?"

M realized that Afrida was only mildly interested in his answers. The questions were really a distraction while she poked around in his head and rifled through his thoughts. He realized this _after _she picked up the argument about the Man From Dallas. M was himself a good tactician, and accepted the reality that he was now playing an unexpected game of poker with his wife. The first rule was not to make dishonest moves, especially when your opponent had already seen some of your cards.

M also knew that he wasn't powerful enough to prevent Afrida from seeing everything, so he focused on hiding the _major _things, like the word _goddess _and whatever else he could manage to contain.

M gave a technically true answer while he bolted down the thoughts in his mind. "I'm stressed because Helena and I had a really bad fight last night. I thought you would know that, since I came here so distraught." M pushed back, the fearless soldier in him finally kicking into gear. _Fight through the fear, man. Stand your ground, but be smart._

Afrida was nonplussed and unimpressed with her husband's sarcasm. She calmly interrogated, "Who is the Man From Dallas and why were you arguing about him?"

M hedged, "We were arguing about you."

Afrida paused, sensing him. She seemed to feel M's answer was true, and she relaxed just a tiny bit. But she was still frightening as fuck as she probed further, "What does the Man From Dallas have to do with me? Why was he mentioned during an argument about me? Who is he?"

Again, M answered with a technical truth. Thank god his inner vampire's natural deceptiveness dominated his inner android's need to divulge too much information. "He was the vampire sheriff in Dallas, Texas that Helena investigated last year. Remember?"

Afrida raised an eyebrow, her eyes still boring into M. She looked as if something suddenly occurred to her, then noted, "He died. That vampire died. And Helena was … extremely sad, unusually heartbroken about his demise. I don't … why _was_ that?"

M answered, "She believed he had some special spiritual knowledge about life, the future, something or other. Another one of her maenad delusions."

Afrida followed up with, "Why didn't she ever tell me about this?"

M responded, trying to sound as casual as possible, "If Helena told you about every maenad musing she had she'd be talking for weeks. My guess is she didn't like the reaction she got from me and didn't want to hear a similar response from you."

Afrida considered what M said, and rifled through his thoughts. He blocked as best he could, but his wife was a gifted empath and he was no match for her. The more he tried to block her access, the more intently she peeled away at his thoughts. She picked up a snippet of last night's argument, and an image of M holding Helena down on the bed and growling as he contemplated entering her. M thought _fuck._

Afrida tilted her head, regarding M. Her eyes were still blue, but they glowed just a little. M suddenly felt a few degrees warmer on the parts of his body where her gaze landed, which right now included his own eyes.

Afrida asked, "If the Man From Dallas was just another of Helena's maenad fantasies, why does he soooo upset you? Why does the thought of him make you angry enough to try to … fuck Helena against her will?"

M struggled with the answer, but worked it out as he went along. "I was tired of her maenad fantasies. The Man From Dallas was one such delusion. Helena's current musings about you reminded me of him and her other maenad shit.

Helena has some … selfish ways. You know this. She sometimes wants things her way or the highway, and she just expects everyone to fall in line. In that moment, I wanted some things to go my way. I was drunk from being at that strip club most of the night. And maybe a little worked up, sexually.

That's no excuse for what I did … thought about doing … but I wasn't thinking about things clearly last night. I was angrier, more irrational than I would have been without the alcohol. I feel like shit about it now, and one of the things I have to do today is to tell Helena how sorry I am."

Afrida considered, then said, "Your action reeked of an eye for an eye, like you were thinking of sexually punishing Helena … for, a sexual transgression on her part?"

M thought _fuck _but calmly said, "I've given you my answer, Afrida. Can't we just stop this? You can, and should, talk to Helena about all of this."

Afrida angrily countered, "You're invoking a rule, which means there's something serious about the Man From Dallas?"

M countered back, "I'm invoking a rule because you're interrogating me about things that are supposed to be discussed directly between you and Helena. If _you _care this much about the subject of the Man From Dallas, that alone indicates that you should be talking with _Helena_, and not me."

M thought for a moment he had gained a reprieve, then Afrida resumed boring into his thoughts. M emphatically said, "Stop it, Afrida. Enough!"

To his horror, M saw the glimmer of light behind Afrida's eyes grow stronger. He suddenly had a bad headache. Afrida calmly intoned, "I have three questions, MacArthur. My questions are simple. I want yes or no answers from you. No caveats. No explanations. First question."

Afrida smirked as she said this, letting M know she had picked the words from his thoughts, and was getting a bit of sadistic amusement out of it. M suddenly understood the discomfort of being on the receiving end of a short list of supposedly simple, unknown questions. He was now getting a bit of his own medicine, and the prospect wasn't pleasant; especially considering his blonde wife's glowing eyes and her now known ability to rip things apart without lifting a finger.

Afrida asked in a tone that said she fully expected a quick answer, "Did Helena have more than a routine encounter with the Man From Dallas? Did she … do something with him beyond the standard questioning?"

M retorted, "That's two questions, not a simple, single question."

Wrong move. Very wrong move. Afrida glared and M felt sharp daggers stabbing his mind and then his entire body. The pain was so bad it temporarily took his breath away. For her part, Afrida didn't move or change her expression.

Afrida calmly demanded again, but this time her voice seemed to vibrate through the entire room. M felt the vibrations of Afrida's voice ripple through his entire body, as if he was underwater and someone clanged a tuning fork. The voice boomed, "Answer the fucking question, MacArthur."

M clenched his eyes shut and struggled to get out, "Yes."

M felt his body getting hotter and knew that his wife's eyes were glowing even more brightly with anger. As angry as he was with Helena, M shuddered at the thought that his answers might direct Afrida's anger, and those glowing sunlight eyes, away from him and toward Helena. He concentrated on getting the next two answers right.

Afrida calmly asked, "Second question. Did Helena tell you that she fucked the Man From Dallas?"

M said without hesitation, "No." He was surprised to find himself thankful for what he had angrily called Helena's "semantic bullshit." His answer was technically true, since Helena had _never _characterized what happened between her and the Man From Dallas as fucking. In fact, she always emphatically denied that that was what it was.

Afrida's glowing eyes calmed down a bit. The light dimmed, but it didn't disappear. She seemed confused and surprised by M's answer, which she verified as being honest. Then she asked, more tentatively, "Third question. Do you _believe _that Helena had an affair with the Man From Dallas?"

M took a quick breath. He believed his answer would be deemed an honest one. But he had only reached the conclusion less than an hour ago, and he had had no time to process it. Despite his doubts, he answered, "No."

M felt Afrida checking all of his internals, everything from his thoughts and feelings to his heartbeat and breathing rate. He expected at any moment to be fried like a wayward snake in the desert sun, or feel his body and mind being separated into subatomic parts. To his surprise, that didn't happen.

Instead, M cautiously opened his eyes and saw his beautiful blonde wife hang her head, tears falling from her eyes. She whispered, despondent, "I almost wished your answers weren't true. At least something about what Helena is doing would make sense to me. Now I'm back to square one."

**_# # # # #_**

**_M Comforts a Distraught Afrida_**

M sat up and held Afrida close as she sobbed. He stayed silent, trying to think of what to say. Afrida uttered, "You and Helena were married for years before I … fell into your lives. You and she were together, always. If … if Helena suddenly wanted a divorce, or wanted me to go away, you would support her.

You would lie for her, maybe so well I couldn't detect it. Your loyalty is to her and only her. She is your first wife. Your only real wife. The two of you just … took me in. We took vows and say we're married, but that isn't real. Only Helena is your real wife. The three of us … married, is just something we said. Quinn … isn't mine. I'm not …"

M had heard enough. He wasn't accustomed to expressing his feelings; and with two wives who were empaths he rather liked that he never had to say anything about his love for them. They knew how he felt, always. But something told the normally stoic soldier that right now his wife needed to hear the words come out of his mouth. She needed to hear his deep tenor forming the sentences, so he willed himself to give that to her.

M shushed and gently pushed Afrida back so that he could place his palm under her chin and lift it. He gazed into her eyes, wiping away her hot tears with his other hand. He said, calmly and confidently, "You. Listen to me. Now. Quit searching my goddamn thoughts and look into my heart. Go all the way in. Calm yourself and go as deep into my heart as you want to go."

M waited a moment for Afrida to calm herself down. He waited to feel her entering his heart, coming inside of him and pushing deeper, so deep it hurt him a little. He asked, "Are you there? Are you where you want to be?"

Afrida looked at him and nodded, more tears still threatening to fall. M intoned, "Afrida, I love you with all my heart. With all my mind. With my entire soul. I love you with every fiber of my being. I know that Helena loves you exactly the same way. Heart. Mind. Soul. Being. Do you understand? Do you believe that?"

Afrida's eyes darted back and forth. M felt her searching his heart. She slowly nodded, hopeful but still disbelieving.

M continued, "You are _my_ wife. You are _Helena's_ wife. I am your husband. I am Helena's husband. Helena is your wife and mine. You are not number two or number three. You are number one.

How can this be? It is like … It is like quantum physics. You're the Chief Science Officer. You know the rules of quantum physics better than I do. You've told me those rules apply to love. Now I need you to believe what you preach.

The three of us … what we feel for one another. What we _are_ to one another. It feels like magic, but it is very real and has its own rules. We are three beings occupying exactly the same space at exactly the same time – number one. We are three spouses, all equal. All number one.

I do not love you less than Helena, or different from Helena. I love you as much, and the same, as I love Helena. I know that Helena loves you the same, and as much, as she loves me. I know that you love us the same. You were initially more attracted to Helena because she had more of that special something than me, but you later told me with all sincerity that your love for me had grown and is now the same as your love for Helena. Should I doubt this?" M held out his arms for emphasis, and smiled lovingly at his wife.

Afrida smiled slightly at his sarcasm, and shook her head, "_No._"

M resumed caressing Afrida's face. He regarded her and continued, "We solidified an eternal commitment when we took and gave each other our vows. Those vows were the vows of marriage, not for play. Ours is a real marriage. Ours is a real family. We … I swore before god, and for these purposes my god is my vow, until death do us part.

Our marriage is real and everlasting. And I do not. I do not get divorced. There is no such thing as divorce. There is no abandoning you or sending you away. The times that you go away to come here to DC, are because you need that; and my heart craves your return to me each and every time."

M gently kissed Afrida, and she stroked his chest and smiled, just a little more.

M intoned, in a commanding manner that indicated his level of certainty and sincerity. "Listen to me, Afrida. Hear me. I know you are confused right now, and afraid. You don't know what Helena is doing. I can't say that I fully know what she is doing. But here is what I _do _know without a shadow of a doubt. Helena loves you. She would give her life for you, as would I. Whatever she is doing, her motives are pure. Her actions are motivated by her love for you. We may not like it, or even agree with it; but her motives are pure. Not selfish, but pure. Do you believe that? Look into my heart and tell me what you see."

Afrida looked as if she felt a lot better. Her tears had turned to soft, dry whimpers. She nodded, indicating that she believed her husband.

M continued, "If you need additional proof of your place as an equal in this marriage, consider our 65 years of marriage. The three of us. Is this not proof? We just celebrated our 65th anniversary of marriage earlier this year. Now, do Helena and I celebrate a separate anniversary, for just the two of us? Do we even remember what that anniversary date was?"

Afrida smiled a bit more and shook her head, "_No."_

M went on. He was on a roll now. "And as for Quinn. He is _your _son. He is as much yours as he is ours. What he is, and what he is to become, is as much from you as from Helena and me.

We are your family. Do you know what that means? It means you are never going to be alone. You are never going to be abandoned. Before you were my wife, and Helena's wife, and Quinn's Mom, you were our friend. This family follows the Lone Ranger's Creed. And what does that Creed say about friends?"

Afrida answered easily, "In order to have a friend you must be one."

M asked, "And what does our family add to that creed?"

Afrida smiled a little and said, "Friends don't abandon friends, especially when bombs are falling down around them."

M nodded and said, "That's right. We are a family. We love each other. Whatever this is, we are going to go through it together. Our family will stay together. For always. Do you trust me?"

Afrida searched and searched her husband's heart and every aspect of his being. She found him to be completely, absolutely, telling her the truth. She felt a sense of relief that she hadn't felt since Helena had asked for time away from her. She threw her arms around M's broad shoulders and gripped him tight. M, in turn, wrapped her in the safety of his huge, muscular arms and held her close to him, kissing her forehead.

Finally, M asked as he whispered into Afrida's ear, "Do you promise me the same thing? No matter what happens, no matter how much anger and doubt you feel at times, you will always keep our family together. You will remember the truth you see in my heart right now. You will be in our marriage forever. For an eternity?"

Afrida held M tight and whispered, full of conviction, "Yes. I will. I promise."

M said, "Good. We should go. We both have meetings today. Are you ready?" Afrida smiled weakly and nodded. M silently thanked General Hobbes as he carried Afrida to the bathroom so they could shower for work.

**_# # # # #_**

**_M and Afrida Shower, and Intimately Reconnect, Before Work_**

Afrida's bathroom was large, a private oasis. One end nestled a soaking tub large enough for four people, or rather two tall women and a very large man. Her shower was situated on the opposite end of the bathroom. It was custom made and decadent. It was adorned with Venetian tile and gold metallic accents. The shower was a large circle, and the front third was a glass enclosure. The three walls each had a powerful showerhead with multiple settings. A fourth, extra large showerhead was suspended from the ceiling and poured down water like heavy rain. Soft glow recessed lighting was encased in the shower ceiling.

M flicked on the recessed lighting to its lowest setting and then turned on both the large ceiling showerhead and the main showerhead on the right side wall. He stood with Afrida underneath the streams of water coming from two different directions. They massaged shampoo into each other's hair, then lathered each other's bodies.

Afrida caressed and lathered M's privates, silently asking if he wanted to make love. M's mind went first to his attack on Helena the night before, and then to Helena's warnings about continuing a sexual relationship with Afrida. He felt that he could become aroused, but he felt wrong about allowing himself sexual pleasure with Afrida. He was more concerned with making right the wrong he had done to Helena the night before.

M wasn't yet sure what he believed about Afrida being a goddess. Perhaps she was just another kind of, more powerful, supernatural being. M was not like Helena. He didn't like to go with his gut, unless he absolutely had to do so. He didn't trust his feelings enough to do that. He liked to investigate, carefully weight the options, and then make an informed decision. He needed more time, and he realized he was going to have to engage in a fuller conversation with his wife about the Man From Dallas, even if what she said about the vampire sheriff hurt.

M thought about his feelings toward Helena. Perhaps it was partly his male ego, but despite this morning's conclusion that Helena did not have a sexual love affair, he still felt very angry and hurt about the Man From Dallas. It was just a different kind of anger and hurt. He still felt that the Man From Dallas should have been subject to the same permissions as everyone else. In fact, the vampire sheriff should have been subject to greater approvals before mounting his wife.

M felt that Helena should have explained to him, in advance, why it was important to give to the Man From Dallas something that was so hard for her to give to anyone, even him and Afrida. But, M also believed for the first time, that time could heal this wound. And he no longer felt the same … hatred that he felt last night as he strolled the streets of Manhattan on his way to the Army teleport.

M didn't yet know what he believed. But he felt that there was some other way to make all of this right without so much hurt. He just needed to find the answer. And with the voice of General Hobbes urging him on, he would.

M saw the despondency in Afrida's eyes. She was exhausted, confused, and frustrated. She wanted, needed to feel close to M. She sighed as she turned her back to him and allowed the water to rinse her off. M considered what he should do. He searched his conscience. Gratifying himself under the circumstances felt … wrong. Gratifying his wife … didn't feel wrong.

M took a breath and stepped forward, pressing his body into Afrida's back, positioning his large body under the showerhead and rinsing off. The water was warm and relaxing as he wrapped his arms around Afrida, caressing her gently from her shoulders down to her breasts, then stomach and the soft triangle between her legs, down to her thighs. He made an irregular north south pattern up and down his wife's body, until she moaned and leaned back into him.

M separated from Afrida for a brief moment to turn on the other two wall showerheads. Afrida turned to face her husband. At the same time, he kneeled before her and gently kissed her stomach.

Afrida raised an eyebrow, silently asking M why he had changed his mind about intimacy. M replied, "I have my issues to address. But why should my wife suffer because of my wrongdoing?" He smiled up at Afrida warmly.

The beautiful blonde ran her fingers through M's hair and asked, "My meetings aren't until late afternoon, but yours are this morning?"

M smiled up at his wife and said, "I'll push some things back. I've decided that my wife's needs are more important than some asshole generals from the Pentagon. Besides, I never thanked you for saving my ass yesterday. I'll have to thank Helena later, after I apologize for _being an ass _last night_._"

Before Afrida could protest, M resumed kissing Afrida's stomach as his hands caressed her everywhere they could reach, her thighs, breasts, arms, legs, behind, even the backs of her knees. He licked Afrida's soft mound and gently probed her dripping center with his tongue. The sensation of the hot moist flesh of M's tongue circling her clit and massaging her nether lips, which Afrida hadn't felt in weeks, caused her to buckle and grip M's head and neck to hold herself up.

M effortlessly lifted Afrida's legs so that they rested on his broad shoulders, then supported her buttocks with his large palms. He held her suspended and turned to his left, maneuvering until Afrida's back was pressed against the center wall of the shower. He licked and sucked and probed her with his tongue. He tried to feel her thoughts, but they were too far away, so he did things the old fashioned way. He listened intently to his wife's moans, and took his cues from her hands gripping his hair and the ardent motion of her hips as she writhed against his tongue.

M continued to pleasure his wife well past her first cries of orgasm, waiting until the cries escalated into screams of release and he felt her pushing his giant head away from her now sensitive sex. He stood and held her up, kissing her slowly and deeply.

Afrida reached for him, and she had no time to react as M turned her around so that her back was to his chest. She watched, confused as he adjusted the setting on the right side showerhead until it went from a soft shower stream to a thick, pulsing, hard torrent of water. He expertly angled the pulsing tide. Afrida felt the water's power as it strummed and pounded into her chest.

Suddenly M lifted his wife and bent his back slightly, resting Afrida's back onto his broad chest as if he were a living, breathing sofa or recliner. His hands gently spread her legs and guided her feet to rest in the wide soap dishes that were built into the right and center walls. He moved and adjusted, until he heard Afrida gasp as the pounding current of water beat against her clit at the perfect pressure and angle.

M breathed and rooted himself in that exact spot, using his powerful leg muscles to hold him in place as Afrida pushed back against him, seeking temporary escape from the unrelenting jet stream that was quickly and steadily building a new fire inside her. She moaned, low and deep in her throat, and threw her head back, resigning herself that her husband would not be moved. She allowed the growing fire that she had once been resisting to freely burn brighter and brighter.

M's eyes widened as he saw his wife's eyes open and close, once again glowing with a bright orangish-yellow light. Unlike earlier, his wife's eyes glowed in rapturous pleasure, not anger. The intermittent heat from the two suns of her eyes warmed the streaming water from the shower just enough to elevate its temperature from warm to lightly steaming. M shifted his hands so that he held Afrida up with one palm, freeing his other hand. He gently penetrated her with one, then two fingers.

The combined effect of the pulsing, pounding torrent of water and M's fingers probing and opening her up sent the goddess over the edge. She writhed furiously as she reached up and behind her with both hands, grabbing M's head and clenching fistfuls of his hair. She turned her head, burrowing into the crook of M's neck, and screamed, then cried hot tears, as she came yet again.

Afrida collapsed, utterly exhausted; but M caught her. He effortlessly turned her body around until he was cradling her in his arms and she was nestled into his chest, like a small child. M looked into Afrida's eyes, seeing once again the sapphire pools he so often drowned in. But remnants of hot orange tears streaked her face, until the shower slowly washed them away. M didn't realize that he also was crying until he felt Afrida caressing his face and wiping away his tears.

Afrida gazed at M, feeling so open and in love with him that her heart ached in the most pleasurably painful way. The pleasure came with the idea of the immensity and depth of her love for him and his love for her. The pain came with the idea, the fear, of losing this. And within this swirling sea of pleasure and pain, thoughts and images of Helena floated somewhere in the distance.

Afrida still felt scared, confused, and angry. But she no longer felt hopeless and steeped in despair. She now felt that whatever this was, it was going to be difficult, maybe even painful. But it wasn't going to leave her abandoned and alone. It wasn't going to tear her away from her family. M, and this much-needed intimacy with him, had given her that.

For his part, M at first felt a bit of shame over the moisture flowing from his eyes. Then the born soldier who never cried gazed upon his beautiful, sated wife, and accepted his new reality, which apparently was going to include tears. Lots of tears. Changes and lots of tears.

M mused, "It seems my internal plumbing has gone from more than a century of impenetrability to suddenly springing leaks all over the place. If Hammer and Dodson could see me now they would knit me some pink panties."

Afrida laughed softly and said, "I've got several pairs of pink panties. Nice lacy ones, too. You can have as many as you want."

M laughed back, and whispered through planted kisses on Afrida's face, "While that sounds … interesting, I don't think you are my size."

Afrida lovingly caressed M's face, trailing fingers over his eyebrows, smoothing the errant hairs above his eyes. She murmured, "Well, beauty is sometimes painful. And maybe bearing the pain of an extra-tight pair of pink panties as you navigate your work day is just the thing to make you feel all manly again."

M smiled wide and whispered, "Indeed, baby. Indeed."

For several precious minutes more, minutes that felt like a dreamlike eternity, M and his beautiful blonde wife (who a tiny part of him, just a tiny part, was starting to believe might, just might, be a goddess) kissed under the still warm shower streams. They gazed into each other's eyes and kissed periodically, as MacArthur stood in a wide stance and slowly swung his hips, rocking his beloved wife, his beautiful baby, back and forth in a wide arc that drenched her with a comforting current from one showerhead, and then the other.

* * *

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Autumn turns to winter,  
And then winter turns to spring.  
It's not just for seasons you know,  
It goes for everything.

It's even true for voices,  
When boys begin to grow.  
You gotta take a lesson from Mother Nature,  
And if you do you'll know.

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Day by day, it's hard to see the changes you've been through  
A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you  
Every boy's a man inside, a girl's a woman too  
And if you wanna reach your destiny, here's what you've got to do

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

**Ending Scene Song: ****_Time to Change _****by The Brady Bunch**

**Credits Song:****_ Planet Earth _****by Duran Duran**

**Author's Notes:**

(1) This chapter pays homage to the following movies: _X-Men: The Last Stand_, _The Ring, _and _Lawnmower Man. _

Afrida's ability to levitate objects is reminiscent of Jean Grey/Phoenix's ability to do the same in_ X-Men: The Last Stand_. The Dark Phoenix series is one of the most popular series of the _X-Men _comics. Jean Grey is arguably the most powerful X-Man, but her powers are so strong that she has trouble controlling them.

Afrida's window running frames of some past event or scene is reminiscent of scenes on the videotape of evil from _The Ring._

Afrida's ability to deconstruct and reconstruct matter is reminiscent of powers possessed by both Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix in _X-Men: The Last Stand_ and the character Jobe in _Lawnmower Man. _

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Time To Change_ by The Brady Bunch and_ Planet Earth _by Duran Duran.


	12. TTC 4 - Family Strife Affects Quinn

**Epic Love Story – A Pam and Tara Novel**

**Chapter 12: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Time To Change, Part 4**

(Family Strife; Something's Happening to Quinn)

**_Author's Notes:_**

* * *

**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which includes this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that include the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

(1) Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

(2) I'm doing my best interpretation of Afrida doing Julie Benz from _Desperate Housewives_. But instead of saying, "I don't know what it is with me. I just have to get dirty," I'm saying, "I don't know what it is with me. I just have to write forever long chapters." This chapter is officially my longest chapter to date. Yes, this is even longer than the infamous "Man From Dallas" chapter. However, unlike the sad and angst-filled Man From Dallas chapter, this chapter is more irreverent, over-the-top fun, which is why I enjoyed writing it so much.

Since I cannot seem to help myself, I did try to help those of you who enjoy reading this Epic Love Story by releasing this longest chapter ever on the weekend. Happy Sunday morning!

And didn't I just promise in the very last chapter that I wasn't going to do this to you again? Obviously, I am a liar and can't be trusted. I must be a cat. You'll know what that means after reading this chapter. :).

(3) Disclaimer and Apologetics to All Cats and the People They Own: Speaking of cats and lying, I want to say for the record that I love both cats and dogs. Okay? I know several of you are owned by cats, so I need to put this out there right now. I love cats. I love cats! The cats in this chapter are fictional, although Brad Baxter is loosely based on a cat family member of mine.

The cats in this chapter are fictional. Fictional. I do not believe that cats are pathological liars or psychopathic. Nor do I believe that cats are evil megalomaniacs with designs to take over Planet Earth. Nor does Helena. She's just got some cat issues, and she's going to work them out. I promise. So please don't blow poison-ladened darts at me, or try to drown me in a swimming pool, or dangle me off the 75th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper. And if you do dangle me off said skyscraper, please don't drop me. And if you do drop me, please catch me before I am hurled to my death. Okay?! Okay.

(4) I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**(5) Possible Trigger Warning: This chapter does NOT contain actual non-consensual sexual activity. However, there is a fantasy scene in the very last section of this chapter (when Quinn is in the desert) that may make some readers uncomfortable.**

**(6) I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**_Manhattan, New York: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Let the Alpha Games Begin_**

Helena, Leo and alpha wolf, was very tired and not thinking clearly this morning. She hadn't slept at all last night, and this utter exhaustion couldn't have come on a worse day. She had an extremely important meeting with Rachel Sullivan, the Human Resources Director for the VA Program. The meeting with Sullivan was scheduled for this morning at 10:30 am, and already Helena was getting a later start to the day than she had planned.

Helena had spent the wee hours of the morning until sunlight poured through her window replaying the fight she had with M. Her mind raced back and forth from one unpleasant memory to the other. She couldn't get the image of her husband hovering over her with tears streaming out of his eyes out of her mind, or the sounds of him retching his guts out in the bathroom after she confessed that, yes, she had allowed the Man From Dallas to get on top of her and … and _do what they did._

Helena berated herself. _This is your problem. Why can't you call it what it was? You fucked your vampire father. You fucked him. You didn't get the required permissions. And worst of all you let him … argh … you submitted to him, sexually. _The thoughts and images of her sexual encounter with the Man From Dallas, her fights with M, especially the one last night, and of course, Afrida … all of it together, was freaking Helena out. She needed to talk to MacArthur, but at the moment she didn't know what she would say to him. She had never in her life seen her husband this way. Angry she had seen, yes. Pensive and emotional, yes. Despondent and full of despair to the point of tears, no. Never.

Of all the terrible things that had happened between her and M last night, the event least on Helena's mind were the long seconds that M had contemplated forcing himself on her. The impulse had surprised her when she first saw it in his thoughts, and for a frightening moment she believed he might go through with it. She was so sure for an instant, in fact, that she had steeled herself in preparation for the assault. Helena was so consumed by her guilt about the Man From Dallas that she had, in that moment, given up fighting her husband; and was prepared to accept whatever punishment M wanted to dish out.

The subject of the Man From Dallas had been like an albatross around Helena's neck for well over a year. Even when things seemed to be going well between her and MacArthur, the unresolved issue of the Man From Dallas was always there in the background. She couldn't take the guilt and heartache anymore, or M's hurt and anger. By the end of their fight last night, Helena had been prepared to do almost anything … endure almost anything, if it would atone for her betrayal and keep the tears that had welled up in her husband's eyes from falling.

Helena tried to still the racing thoughts going through her mind. She absolutely had to do it, because she was already beyond exhausted; and today of all days she needed to be on top of things. While Helena wouldn't be speaking very much during today's interviews, she still needed to be alert. Rachel Sullivan was a first class bitch, and she was prepared to count the slightest mistake Helena made against her. So Helena needed to be perfect in today's meeting. The alpha wolf took five minutes to close her eyes and breathe. Just. Breathe. She used the same relaxation technique she had taught her son to use when his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. It worked enough for her to feel functional.

Helena showered and dressed as fast as possible, pulling on her dress socks and racing out her bedroom door. She started to feel like she _would _be able to get through this morning's meeting with Rachel Sullivan. Then she could cruise through the rest of the day, maybe even get a bit of sleep. As Helena exited her bedroom, her mind was already focused on grabbing her soft leather briefcase and her apartment keys. _Where are they? _Then she remembered that she had left both her briefcase and keys right at the front door. She had dropped them there last night as soon as she got inside the apartment as she rushed to her son's bedroom to check on him.

To her utter confusion, Helena suddenly found herself sliding in the hallway just outside her bedroom door, and a few moments later her mind registered that her feet were wet. She realized all of this as she was still sliding; and if not for her superb reflexes she would have slipped and landed flat on her butt. Instead, she floated her way out of the fall and elevated above the floor. She turned her body around in midair and looked down at the floor, trying to figure out the source of the unexpected wetness that almost sent her reeling into a crash and fall.

Helena frowned in confusion as her keen vision took in a slightly yellowish trail of liquid extending from her bedroom door all the way down the hall. She floated and followed the trail into the bathroom and then into the kitchen. Her nose picked up the pungent scent, but her mind refused to allow her to believe that the yellow wetness was what it appeared to be. Finally, she hovered down close to the floor, careful to hold her shoulder-length raven tresses behind her head so that they didn't touch any of the dampness that made tiny yellow pools in some places. She sniffed lightly and the pungent odor hit her. The scent was unmistakable. _Cat piss. _Helena scowled, as much out of abject disbelief as in disgust.

Helena was late for work; well not really, but later than she liked to be considering she was always very early. Being early helped her feel in control, especially when she knew she had a lot scheduled for the upcoming workday. Today Helena was suddenly thankful for always being very early because it seemed she was going to have to take a bit of unexpected time to solve a mystery, a mystery having to do with her son.

The alpha wolf floated into an upright position and leaned against the hallway wall, still airborne, trying to figure out what could have possibly possessed Quinn to piss up half of their apartment. Helena frowned, thinking. The amount of piss everywhere signaled that the action was clearly deliberate. She suddenly feared that Quinn may have marked the wall and she jumped away from it. She turned around and sniffed. Nothing. Thankfully she didn't have to change her uniform, only her socks.

Quinn had been sick last night, so she gave him a pass and cleaned up his bathroom. But this round of piss wasn't sickness. Helena was sure of it. The trail of putridity was too … intentional. Then she remembered her son's anger from last night, and for a brief moment Helena felt sympathy for Quinn. All the arguments and the sudden absence of Afrida were probably taking a toll on him. And then she inhaled the foul smelling odor and noticed the slightest tint of yellow staining the hardwood floors in the hallway. Sympathy abruptly disappeared and the angry scowl returned to the alpha wolf's face.

Leo Helena had infinite patience, provided that she was well rested and in a positive mental space. Right now she was neither. Her personality was dominant and fiery; and she had, when provoked, an extremely bad temper. Her son deliberately peeing all over their apartment was in no uncertain terms a provocation. And after a tense night of fighting with M followed by no sleep, Helena didn't consider her son's possible anger and confusion over all the family upheavals of the past two weeks to be a sufficient excuse for deliberately pissing up the house.

Quinn lay on his side with his back to the door. His eyes were closed but he was wide awake, and smirking a little. He was enjoying the feelings coming in to him from his mother as she took in his glorious territorial markings – confusion, followed by disbelief, followed by irritation, followed by anger. Then, to the alpha tiger's surprise, his mother's anger was temporarily diffused by a brief moment of … sadness … guilt? Then something happened and the guilt and sadness disappeared and was instantly replaced by anger. Seething, white hot anger. Quinn smiled and thought, _Invigorating_.

Alpha wolf Helena burst into alpha tiger Quinn's bedroom and hovered over his bed. "Quinn! Wake the fuck up!"

No answer, which made Helena absolutely livid. She smacked his shoulder and yelled, "Quinn, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you fucking crazy? Get. Up."

Quinn slowly rolled over, clutching his sheet high across his waste and meeting his mother's enraged glare. He casually said, "Good morning, Mother. Is there a problem?"

Helena took a very deep breath, and tried to speak calmly. "Yes, Quinn. There is most definitely a fucking problem. For reasons that I will seek to understand later, you pissed all over the apartment. But for the moment, I don't need to understand anything. I just need you to get out of the bed and clean it all up. Now."

Quinn casually responded, "Now, Mother. You're exaggerating. I didn't mark up the _whole_ apartment. I ran out of pee last night. I didn't drink enough water, I guess. You always _did tell me_ to hydrate."

Quinn sighed, regretting that he hadn't followed his mother's advice about proper hydration, which caused him to lack sufficient pee to mark the whole apartment last night. He lamented, "So anyway, I didn't have enough pee to demarcate the living and dining rooms, but I was planning on doing that this morning."

For several seconds, Helena stared at her son in disbelief. Her eyes widened in puzzlement, as if she was regarding an alien species that she had never before encountered. She blinked several times, and considered the serious possibility that she was so tired that she might actually be going crazy. She had to be going crazy, because otherwise she would swear that she just heard her son calmly tell her that he had indeed intentionally pissed up part of her home and was planning to intentionally piss up the rest of her apartment as he spoke.

Helena tilted her head in confusion and searched Quinn's thoughts. Perhaps her son had won some kind of contest and she was unwittingly in the middle of an episode of MTV'sPunk'd. She looked around for hidden cameras. _Did that show still come on the air? Was Ashton Kutcher racing toward her apartment with an MTV camera crew at this very moment to save her from killing Quinn? _

Helena searched Quinn's mind, almost hoping to see an image of Ashton Kutcher giving Quinn instructions on how to drive his mother to the brink of homicide. As she recalled, those were some of the best episodes of Punk'd. Ashton seemed to love it when the poor duped victim was driven to the point of committing an assault, which allowed Ashton to rush to the rescue before something warranting jail time happened. It was the stuff that made great ratings.

Helena was already processing that she would just need to go right ahead and admit that she had just been punk'd so that Ashton and the MTV camera crew could leave and she could get to her job. That is, _after_ she gave Ashton and his camera crew a piece of her mind and _after_ they helped Quinn clean up all the cat piss in her apartment. But to Helena's amazement, she found no evidence of a practical joke when she searched Quinn's thoughts. Instead, there, in Quinn's mind, was an image of a little tiger cub, carrying out Quinn's stated plan to piss in the living and dining room.

The image in Quinn's mind of the tiny tiger cub hopping onto one of the dining room chairs then pissing on the table pushed Helena over the edge. More specifically, it was the image of the tiny tiger cub gleefully pissing in the fruit bowl _that rested in the middle_ of the dining table that sent Helena into an unmitigated haze of white-hot rage.

Helena breathed and thought of oceans, and beautiful rippling waves, which helped her resist her instinctive urge to grab her son by the throat and strangle him. She gritted out, "Quinn, I think it goes without saying that if you do anything with your cat piss other than stream it into the toilet without so much as a single errant drop, I will totally kick your ass. Now get up and start cleaning that shit up. Right. Now."

Quinn didn't move. He instinctively wanted to follow his mother's command, but he steeled himself and forced himself to stay put. This was a critical moment in which he needed to be an alpha tiger and stand his ground. Helena, his alpha wolf mother, was also standing her ground; or more accurately, floating above him. Waiting. Quinn said in his new, deep bass voice, "No." The defiant word felt good. Powerful. Invigorating.

Helena scowled, "What did you say?" This really was not the morning for this shit, and Helena's patience was below zero at this point. Her eyes were now glowing yellow.

Quinn looked into his mother's eyes and swallowed, despite himself. His Mother had controlled his android self for almost three quarters of a century, but his four babies weren't having that shit. Enough was a fucking-nough. Quinn's baby vampire, maenad, fairy and tiger were all telling him to stand up for his rights. But his mature android mind was telling him to stand down before his mother kicked his fucking ass. For good measure, the wise android conjured up mental images of Helena easily killing all those vampires in yesterday's field test.

For now, his four inner babies weren't backing down. Alpha tiger Quinn reaffirmed in a booming rich bass, "No."

Helena rushed Quinn and clenched his hair in her fists. He howled as his mother lifted the top half of his body off the bed and yanked the sheet out of his hands, exposing his nude privates. Quinn's erection from the night before had finally died down, only to be replaced by an emergence of "morning wood," waiting to greet him when he woke up.

Quinn had tried to hold onto the sheet, but then said _fuck it _as his mother forcefully yanked it down. He now found he was getting unexpected amusement from the briefly horrified look on his mother's face as she took in the sight of his erection.

To the alpha wolf's credit, she processed and recovered quickly. Helena was so intent on getting her son out of bed and cleaning that the _next to last thing_ on her mind was the possibility that he might be lying in bed nude. The _last thing _on her mind was that he might be lying nude and sporting an erection.

Quinn was a creature of habit. And for the past year, since Afrida purchased those custom-made superhero boxer briefs, her son's routine was to start his day off with a shower and a fresh pair of boxer briefs. He wore those same briefs during the day at work, then slept in them the same night. This allowed him to "maximize the superhero effect" of the particular briefs in question.

According to Quinn's usual pattern of behavior, Helena expected to see some superhero pattern adorning her son's privates when she stripped the sheet off of him. She was initially shocked by his nudity, and especially his erection. But her android mind quickly added this evidence to her son's illness from last night and the sudden deepening and melodiousness of his voice. _Puberty. It's happening. It's finally happening. Quinn's other aspects are manifesting themselves. _

The advent of her son's final transition into manhood would normally be a momentous occasion for Helena, one which would elicit in the doting wolf mother a time-out for reflection and the first of many to come heart-to-heart talks with Quinn. Sometime later, when Helena wasn't so angry and stressed she would give this to her son. But right now, the most important thing to Helena was getting Quinn to clean up his fucking cat piss.

Helena didn't realize that while she was off in her thoughts about Quinn's many changes, she had been absently staring at his privates. Quinn looked down at his endowments, then asked his mother, "It's all rather impressive, isn't it, Mother?"

Without missing a beat, Helena responded, "Yes, very. But Son, I thought we taught you that only a shameful man takes credit for an accomplishment he did nothing to earn."

Helena smirked when her son regarded her with a puzzled look on his face, not understanding her reply. She explained, "Your big dick comes from your father and your big balls come from me. The only thing _you_ can lay claim to at the moment is pissing up the goddamn apartment." Quinn's eyes widened, as his alpha mother continued, "Which brings us back to subject at hand. Go clean that shit up. I'm tired of asking."

Helena was still holding fistfuls of Quinn's hair, waiting for him to answer. A part of her couldn't help but be pleased and proud when she read the thoughts of her alpha tiger son. He was weighing how much pain his mother might exact, and at the same time planning his own strategy of counter attack. If not for her meeting this morning with Rachel Sullivan, and all the cat piss on her floors, of course, Helena might have enjoyed exploring and drawing out the emerging limits of her son's alpha nature. But as things stood, she _did_ have that meeting with Rachel Sullivan, and there _was_ that hideous cat piss vapor soaking into every hair in her nostrils; and so she wasn't in the mood to explore anything. So for now, the alpha wolf just wanted the piss cleaned up.

To Helena's amusement and surprise, Quinn's eyes now glowed a bright orange and he emitted a low growl. The tiny tiger cub in Helena's mind was also scowling at her, and crouching, poised for an attack. Quinn suddenly pushed, or rather tried to push, Helena's hands off of him. But she held the fistfuls of his hair too tightly. The back and forth struggle continued for all of four long seconds. Then, to alpha tiger Quinn's utter mortification, he found himself suspended in midair with his legs dangling. His mother was in front of him, using both hands to hold him by the nape of his neck like a fucking baby cub. She extended her arms, still holding him in the air. She stared into his eyes and growled.

Quinn was embarrassed and angry. He looked approximately twenty-five years old in human years. He was 6'4" and weighed almost 250 pounds, and his mother was naping him like a fucking tiger cub. Of course, it also didn't help that the only image of his tiger self that Quinn could conjure up as he invaded his mother's thoughts was that of himself as a tiny tiger cub with a baby roar. But that was the best he could do for now, because he had only seen himself as a tiger once, during the one and only time he shifted when he was eight years old. Back then, Quinn's tiger self _was _a cub. Quinn was sure that his adult tiger self looked much different, much bigger and more powerful, with a fearsome roar; but he didn't have a visual to work with. Yet.

Quinn flexed and tried to wriggle out of his mother's grip. He felt a brief moment of elation when he slipped out of her hands and it seemed that he was going to drop to the floor. But then his mother dropped with Quinn and grabbed him. She shoved him backwards and banged his back into the wall. She now gripped him by the front of his neck and held him firmly against the wall.

Quinn protested, "I'm not cleaning anything up. I didn't piss on the floor, so I don't see why I should have to clean up someone else's mess!"

Helena was momentarily confused. She and Quinn were the only two people in the apartment. M had already left by the time Helena had cleaned up the bathroom the first time. Helena shook her head, stopping the analysis she had started doing to confirm what she knew about who pissed up the apartment. This mental exercise was ridiculous, because the piss was definitely cat piss; and Quinn was the only cat residing in the apartment. But he lied so convincingly that for a moment she was confused.

Helena sighed and asked, "Quinn, are you seriously looking me in the eye and telling me _you did not_ piss all over the apartment?"

Helena suddenly remembered her son's new penchant for technical truths, which to Helena were the same as lies. She rephrased, "Are you telling me that you didn't pee anywhere in this apartment last night or this morning? You're saying that the piss I'm smelling right now in your room isn't yours?"

Without hesitation, Quinn said, "I did not pee anywhere in this apartment last night or this morning. And I'm not cleaning up anything."

While this brazen lie was coming out of Quinn's mouth, Quinn was deliberately projecting into Helena's mind an image of himself strolling nude down the hall and through the bathroom and kitchen, pissing as he took every step. Helena's eyes widened at the audacity of her son's lying.

Helena was intrigued enough to see where this would go. She asked, "So who exactly do you think pissed in the apartment, Quinn?"

To Helena's amazement, Quinn sounded genuinely concerned as he calmly said, "It pains me to say this, Mother. But perhaps _you_ did it. I mean, you have been under a lot of stress lately, and not exactly yourself. However, it's one thing to piss up the apartment, but then to accuse _me _of doing it. This is astounding. Shocking, really. But I don't hold anything against you. Like I said, you've been arguing with everyone lately, and under a lot of stress."

If there was anything Helena detested more than lies, it was brazen lies. But as Helena watched the nude, pissing version of himself that Quinn was deliberately projecting into her mind, she thought of his actions as much more angering than even brazen lying.

Quinn was lying out of his mouth, while projecting a mental image into Helena's mind that made it absolutely clear that he was lying. This was not just subterfuge and artifice, but also a mind fuck. Quinn was, in essence, saying to Helena, _I'm lying. You know I'm lying. I know that you know I'm lying. And you know, that I know, that you know I'm lying. And that knowledge makes my lying ass really happy._

Helena bristled, "Quinn, you're saying _now_ that you didn't piss in the apartment. Yet a few minutes ago you corrected me, stating that you didn't piss in the _whole _apartment because you ran out of pee. You therefore admitted that you pissed in the apartment."

Quinn retorted indignantly, "I never said that!"

Apparently Quinn's inner tiger didn't have the same need for logical consistency that his inner android held so dear. Tiger Quinn could seemingly lie without any regard to the plausibility of the falsehoods he spouted.

Helena was now beyond seething. She breathed deeply and intoned to her son, "Quinn, you know history quite well. I'm thinking of Richard Nixon now. Bill Clinton, also. Nixon and Clinton did their unsavory deeds; but if you recall, it was the lying that became the biggest problem. It was the cover up and the lies that did them in."

Quinn seemed to be concentrating on what his mother was saying. Had Helena been human and not an empath, she would probably believe that her words were, finally, reaching her son. But Helena _was_ a Werewolf and an empath. She could both feel what her son was feeling, and see his thoughts.

Despite how pensive and attentive Quinn looked on the outside, the Were bond between mother and son was projecting into Helena from Quinn wave after wave of intense arousal and desire. The alpha tiger was, at this moment, voraciously hungry. His stomach was growling. Also, his hormones were raging and sending a continual heat wave to his privates, and consequently to Helena's privates. Unlike Quinn, Helena was able to control herself and ignore the demanding sexual sensations rippling through her.

Helena read Quinn's mind as she was lecturing him about the lies of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton and the dire consequences to both presidents. She saw a looping image of a stripper grinding on her son's lap. Her son grunted appreciatively at the erotic image looping through his mind. Helena interrupted the fantasy with, "Quinn! Pay attention when I'm talking to you. And quit the fucking lying. I'm not playing with you."

Quinn paid attention for a few seconds, then resumed fantasizing about … _Destiny …_ the name flashed in Quinn's mind like a neon sign. Helena glared as Destiny grinded hard into both Quinn and Helena's lap.

Quinn the android was a complicated fellow. He engaged in complex analyses and simplistic thoughts bored him. Tiger Quinn was decidedly more pedestrian in his mental pursuits. The same looping image of Destiny wasn't boring him at all. In fact, it elevated Quinn's inner tiger to greater and greater heights of arousal as it played over and over in his mind.

Boredom with the sexy image eventually set in, however. But Quinn's boredom was with Destiny, and not the idea of a beautiful woman grinding into him. Helena watched as her son transformed stripper Destiny's face into a more desirable image. She wasn't surprised to see the face of Kara Wellington replace Destiny's face on the gyrating stripper in Quinn's mind.

Kara was an extremely attractive lioness who worked in Helena's group. M and Afrida had pointed out on more than one occasion how much Kara, with her dark curly hair, height that was just a tad shy of 5"11" and slender, slightly curvy body, looked strikingly like Helena. Several staff jokingly referred to Kara as Helena's "Mini Me."

Helena had read the thoughts of both Kara and her son enough to know that Kara was very enamored with Quinn, and Quinn felt the same way about her. In fact, enamored was an understatement when it came to describing how Kara felt about her son. Helena knew that Kara made an effort to be on Satellite Draco to see Quinn and bring him cocoa just the way he liked it every morning that Quinn worked on the craft. Helena also knew that images of Kara had long filled Quinn's android mind, although he had never seemed to understand why he was so fixated on the beautiful young woman. Kara had asked, and Helena told her with a bit of hidden amusement what kind of shampoo she used. The alpha wolf noted that Kara's hair smelled exactly the same as hers the very next day.

Quinn had just successfully inserted Kara's head onto Destiny's gyrating body; but seemed to be having some trouble getting his fantasy Kara to look suitably seductive. Helena wasn't surprised by this failure. Poor Quinn didn't have much to work with from real life. One of the things Helena loved about Kara was that she was such a wonderful combination of extremely tough and professional soldier and delightfully sweet and caring person. Kara was warm and smiled a lot, but she was a little shy and sheltered; and religious based on how much she talked about going to Cat Church and the Catholic church in Spanish Harlem presided over by the vampire priest. Helena knew that although she was twenty-eight years old, Kara, like Quinn, had never had sex. There was, accordingly, a kind of endearing innocence about Kara that Helena adored.

Kara was often quite flirtatious with Quinn, but not provocative and seductive, at least not in a stripper kind of way. Helena didn't think Kara knew how to be this way, at least not yet. The alpha wolf stifled a laugh that momentarily dissipated the yellow in her eyes and pulled her out of her anger as she watched Quinn select then discard image after image of a supposedly seductive Kara. They were all some variant of Kara smiling sweetly and acting like Snow White, which was annoying her horny son and messing with his hard-on. Poor Quinn ultimately had to settle for a sweet and flirtatious Kara, which made his stripper fantasy decidedly PG-13.

Tiger Quinn, ironically, then became annoyed by the artificially huge Destiny breasts, which didn't fit fantasy Kara at all. Helena was glad to see that at least of little of Quinn's android need for consistency remained. Kara's breasts were more the size of Helena's, which were either a large B or a small C cup, depending on the particular bra. Poor Quinn hadn't seen or noticed enough naked breasts to conjure up the right size or shape for his fantasy Kara. At one point, he seemed to get the size right but the nipples were in the wrong place. Then the image suddenly changed back to Destiny's huge breasts. Tiger Quinn grunted again, this time in frustration at his inability to create the semi-nude version of Kara that he wanted.

Helena watched for a moment more as her son struggled against the jarring mismatch between his fantasy Kara's face and breasts, which was annoying him to no end. She caught Quinn looking down at her chest, using his mother's similarly-sized breasts for inspiration in correcting the size of fantasy Kara's breasts in his mind. Quinn had, of course, seen his mother's breasts, but never really noticed them before.

Quinn's inner android had never been particularly interested in either of his two mothers' breasts, or any breasts for that matter. Also, Helena's breasts were currently confined within her uniform shirt and jacket, so there wasn't much to work with in terms of inspiration. But Quinn was nevertheless concentrating, as if he hoped to any minute elicit the sudden power of X-Ray vision. Helena checked the many clocks in her android mind. The morning time was getting later and Helena couldn't do this shit anymore.

"Quinn, stop it!" Helena blasted. "Go clean the bathroom and goddamn floors!"

Alpha tiger Quinn was pissed off because Helena's yelling had effectively dissipated the fantasy stripper Kara he had worked so hard to create in his mind. Without thinking, he yelled back at his mother, "I told you I didn't piss on the goddamn floor and I'm not cleaning anything. Leave me the fuck alone!" Quinn tried pushing Helena again, but this time she was more than prepared for his attempted getaway. She adjusted to his attempts to extract himself from her grip, and held him firmly in place against the wall.

_Hmmm_. It seemed Quinn was having all kinds of firsts this morning. Cursing at his mother was definitely new. Helena didn't like it. Not one bit. The alpha wolf leaned in close to her son's face. Her eyes were glowing again and now her fangs were bared as she growled out, "Quinn, I appreciate your show of force. It's rather impressive, actually. But I'm telling you that right now is really not the time for all this shit you're giving me. Holding you like this hurts me more than you. But I promise you that the next move will definitely hurt _you_ more than me."

Quinn stared into his mother's eyes. He had seen this side of her many times, but never directed at him. It had always protected him and made him feel safe. Facing it now was downright frightening. He knew his mother sensed his fear, but he wasn't ready to give up the fight. For reasons he didn't fully understand, Quinn focused on the fact that his mother had said his show of force was … _impressive. _ He liked that, because despite his anger he wanted his mother's respect and admiration. He very much wanted her to be impressed by him and his bravery.

Helena quirked her brow, waiting for her son to make a move indicating he was ready to clean up the cat piss. Despite his fear, Quinn's eyes widened in excitement because for the first time he knew what his mother's expression meant. _You really want to do this now, Quinn? You really want this ass whipping, boy? Really?_

Quinn had no idea why he did this, but he had the sudden urge to lean in toward his mother. Helena's eyes widened in confusion as her son leaned forward and pressed his nose to hers. He nuzzled her nose just barely with his own and sniffed lightly, keeping his eyes open the entire time. He tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against hers, then pulled back and touched his nose to hers once again. He was … _purring_.

Helena had no idea how she was supposed to respond to this display. She didn't even know what it meant. It did, however, feel warm. And warmth is what she felt coursing through their Were bond as her son engaged in this strange behavior. The warmth coming into her from her son was sufficient to calm Helena. The yellow glow in her eyes disappeared and she retracted her fangs.

Quinn leaned back and regarded his mother. He made a show of sighing, then said, "Look, Mother. You're not the only one who has to get to work this morning. I have things to do, as well. I promised General M that I would review the control test results and have a report for him today. This mother and son time has been lovely, but I need to get ready for work. But I also have a more urgent need right now, and I really need you to release me so that I can go take care of it."

Helena calmly replied, "Then you're going to have to explain to your father why you need more time to do that report, because you're not leaving this apartment until you clean up every last bit of cat piss."

Quinn sighed again, making a show of being magnanimous. He said, "Mother, can you just release me and let me go take care of what I need to take care of, please? Then we can discuss this like two adults?"

Helena replied, just as calmly, "I don't think so, Quinn. It seems only one of us is an adult, and it's not you. Adults are potty trained. They don't piss up the apartment that they share with the other members of their family and subject those other family members to the smell of piss."

Alpha tiger Quinn answered back, just as calmly, "That is what I am speaking about actually, Mother. I really need to go. Now. Please release me."

When Helena made no move to release him, alpha tiger Quinn made his own move. He used all the strength he could muster to try and free himself from his mother's grip. He simultaneously pushed her and grabbed her arm, managing to temporarily loosen her hold, but ultimately he made no headway. Quinn learned in that moment just how much his mother held back when they play fought. She reacted blindingly fast to all his moves, and the alpha tiger once again found his back pressed into the wall, his head perilously close to the ceiling. This time his mother shoved him hard enough to crack the drywall.

Her son's insolence had once again incensed Helena into a wolfen fit of anger. Yet again, her eyes glowed yellow and her fangs were bared. Helena didn't notice, but her body was now pressing into Quinn's. Her scowling features suddenly morphed into a humorous, at least to tiger Quinn, state of confusion and horror. Helena's menacing growl petered from a _GRRRRR _into a high-pitched _grrrrhuh? _as she felt something warm and wet soaking her Army green uniform pants. The disgusting warm wetness soaked her thigh, then seemed to slowly move down her left leg.

Helena looked down and saw the tip of her son's erect penis pressing straight into her thigh. She could see that this was the source of the warm wetness, as a growing piss cloud streamed out from her son's hard phallus, spreading and soaking into her upper pants leg and slowly making its way south, down the entire length of her green pants. Helena's instinct was to quickly move away, but her android mind told her not to do this because such an action would free Quinn's lodged penis, allowing it to once again point straight up. The result would be a torrent of cat piss jetting into her chest, or even worse, her face.

Helena had no choice but to stay in place and wait for Quinn's piss stream to finish. He had evidently drank lots of water before going to sleep last night, because he was pissing forever. He peed so much that her pants leg soaked and piss dripped steadily onto the floor beneath them. Helena looked up and saw a smirk on Quinn's face. She growled at him, "Stop it!"

Quinn, as pleased as punch, explained, while still peeing on Helena's left leg, "Mother, do you remember Richard Pryor's _Live In Concert_ show from late '70's? He gave a succinct explanation of the differences between men and women when it comes to stopping the flow of pee. Women apparently can turn off their piss like that." Quinn snapped his fingers, visually illustrating the quickness with which women could stop the flow of their piss.

Quinn continued, "Men, on the other hand, don't have the same capability in this regard. I know this seems counterintuitive at the moment, Mother. But the best thing I can do right now, according to Richard Pryor, is to stay put and keep peeing on your leg."

Quinn smiled a big Cheshire grin. He didn't seem too broken up about having no choice except to keep peeing on his mother's leg. He shook his head as he lamented, "If I try to stop now, Mother, I'm going to fail at the endeavor; and I'll just get pee aaallllll over you. At least this way it's only on your pants. We just have to wait this out."

Quinn smirked as the stream flowing from his dick died away. The alpha wolf noted the strained look on her son's face and his grunting, indicating that he was making a great effort to push out every last drop of pee he possibly could.

Helena had reached a new, never before experienced level of rage at her son. Quinn saw this and felt more than a little unnerved. He was downright scared shitless on the inside, but he forced down the fear and calmly said, "Now Mother. It's not fair to be angry with me. I asked you as nicely as possible to release me so that I could go to the bathroom. You know that I always need to pee first thing in the morning. I've been holding it for a while now, waiting patiently for you to stop antagonizing me. I mean, what did you expect me to do?"

Helena took several moments to breathe deeply. She was afraid to move, afraid for Quinn, that is. Every time she focused on the pungent stench of cat piss now filling the room and her soaking wet leg, which had gone from warm to cold, she contemplated killing him. Funeral music played in her head as she calculated the extra time it was going to take to shower again and change into a new uniform. Helena was literally shaking from the effort to control her temper.

Quinn sensed that he should probably shut up now. His inner android was pleading with him to just be quiet and hope the blows that were certainly coming didn't render him unconscious or worse, but his foolish inner babies convinced him that he had his mother exactly where he wanted her. She was, quite visibly, on the brink of losing all control.

Quinn's inner babies piped up, much to the android's horror, "Look at you, Mother. This loss of control you're exhibiting is unseemly. You need to understand that I'm a grown man, and I'm not going to just take orders from you, anymore. Those days are over."

Quinn smirked with that half turn of his lips that made Helena want to repeatedly punch him in his teeth. The alpha wolf took in an impossibly long, deep breath. To Quinn's surprise, she calmly observed, "You know, Quinn. I do remember Richard Pryor's _Live In Concert_ show from 1979. And I do remember that part about the differences between men and women when it comes to stopping their flow of piss."

Quinn smiled, happy that his Mother seemed to agree with him that the best thing for him to do had been to keep peeing on her leg. But then his mother's face donned a feral smirk of her own as she calmly mused, "I also recall that in that same show, Richard Pryor fondly remembered the first time he stood up to his father, kind of how you're standing up to me right now. First, Richard lied to his father and told him that he hadn't done something he clearly had done, kind of like you're doing to me right now."

Quinn frowned, not liking the direction the conversation was taking or the eerie calm in his mother's voice. Helena continued, "Richard further recalled how he stood up to his father, boldly telling him he was a man now and he wasn't going to take any more ass whippings or do what his father told him, kind of like what you said to me just now."

Helena observed her son for several uncomfortable seconds. Quinn couldn't help the increasing rate of his heartbeat. He had the sickening feeling that something was coming. His inner babies were still mirthful, but wary and anxious. Quinn's inner android shut down as if saying, _I tried to warn you stupid baby bitches. Now I'm out._

Alpha wolf mother, Helena, calmly asked her alpha tiger son, Quinn, "Tell me, Son. Do you perchance remember how Richard Pryor's father responded to this declaration of independence by young Richard?"

Quinn's eyes widened, as he said, "He punched him hard in the che-"

Before Quinn could finish the sentence or process anything, Helena had abruptly turned his body so that her back was now facing the wall. She launched a two-fisted punch square to the middle of Quinn's chest. Much the same as what had happened to young Richard Pryor when his father had punched him, young alpha tiger Quinn's manly chest caved in from the force of his mother's brutal, unforgiving double-fisted blow to the center of his chest.

Quinn crashed into the opposite wall and fell to the floor in an undignified lump of nakedness. He literally felt the air whoosh out of his body as he clutched his chest. He literally hurt too much to scream.

Helena dropped to the floor and pulled her manly son out of the fetal position he had crouched into and hit him on either side with each of her fists, bruising both sets of his ribs as she crashed him back into the same wall he had previously been pinned against.

Quinn's head was fuzzy from the pain. The room was spinning a little; and just then Quinn's inner android decided to have a sense of humor. It resurrected the Richard Pryor clip, just to refresh alpha tiger Quinn's memory:

_**Richard Pryor, Live in Concert, 1979 – **__I had a fight with my father one time. You know, it wasn't exactly a fight, but I did the best I could. Well, I just got tired of them ass whuppins. Right, I said, (in a little kid voice trying to sound brave) "This is it. I'm not takin' no more ass whuppins. This is it!" And then he looked at me, and he said, "What, you a man now, mothafucka?" I said, (same little scared kid voice) "Yeah." And he hit me. In the chest. Hard. Whoooom! He hit me so hard my chest just caved in. And wrapped around his fist. And I held on to it. With my chest. I would not let it go, so he could hit my ass again. And everywhere he moved his arm, I was hangin' on like this. (Richard bounces around the stage; laughter from the audience)._

Quinn failed to appreciate his inner android's sense of humor, because at the moment he was in a lot of pain. He had never felt agony like this in his life. This was ten times worse than the sickness that had tied his stomach in knots the night before. Quinn growled and tried to get up, but he suddenly felt his leg being swept out from under him. Quinn fought to get up again. This time he managed to get to his feet, but almost immediately found himself punched and kicked again and again (he lost count) until he fell to his knees. Then the alpha tiger felt the air leave his body yet again as he was knocked prone and the side of his face was pressed against his bedroom floor.

Quinn, lying on his stomach, angled his head up as much as he could, trying to see exactly how his mother was able to pin him to the ground. She had essentially used his own strength and momentum against him. He could see that his mother's eyes were no longer glowing and she had retracted her fangs, which meant she had gotten her temper under control.

But Quinn knew his mother well enough to know that she was calm now because she felt totally in control. She had decided exactly how she would hurt him if he kept up the resistance. Quinn could see that she was using his right arm to pin him. She held it straight out and behind his body, while at the same time bending his wrist hard to the left.

Quinn tried to move, and she twisted his wrist while using his own arm to press him harder against the floor. The movement was slight, but the pain was excruciating. Helena jerked Quinn's arm, and painfully flipped him over onto him back. Quinn looked up at the ceiling, which seemed to be moving. He soon realized that it was_ him _who was moving. His mother used his arm to drag him to the part of the floor where his piss had dripped off her pants leg. She then pressed her foot into his armpit and held his arm straight as she rolled his head around in the pool of pee.

She calmly remarked as she took in her handiwork with her son, the tiger mop, "I love your new longer hair, Quinn. It's very absorbent. Look at that. It just soaked up all the piss that was on the floor. The top even has room for a bit more." With that, Helena lifted her soaked pants leg and squeezed the cuffs, wringing all the piss she could out of her pants and onto Quinn's head. Quinn squinted as his own cold cat piss dripped onto his eyebrows and trickled into his eyes.

Helena observed serenely, "Well, your hair was pretty good at soaking up the piss, but the god awful smell remains. And there is the rest of the apartment that is still coated with the piss from last night's fun. You need to clean and disinfect, all of it."

Helena flipped Quinn back onto his stomach and once again pressed the side of his face into the floor. He angled his head and looked up at her. Helena looked into his eyes and asked calmly, "Will you clean up now? Or do I break your arm? Your choice."

Quinn's eyes widened. He didn't believe his mother would really break his arm, but he wasn't sure. He tried to check her thoughts, but she was blocking him. Quinn started shaking his head, albeit weakly, _No._

Helena took a moment to admire the fight in her son. _Hmm, he gets that from both M and me. Dr. McFadden did say he would get the best and worst of both of us. The best – resilience and determination. The worst – stubbornness bordering on stupidity._

Then Helena abruptly drove an elbow into alpha tiger's arm between his wrist and elbow, breaking it into two pieces. Quinn howled as the excruciating pain blinded him. Helena then held his arm in place and waited for it to heal, a process that took about one minute. Helena now allowed her son to read her thoughts. To his amazement, she was only mildly interested in her current, ongoing altercation with him. She was planning out her day, fretting about a meeting with someone named Rachel Sullivan, and thinking about M and Afrida.

Helena was still thinking about what she had to do at work as she said to alpha tiger Quinn, "Quinn, you're right. I should speak to you as one adult to the other. So here goes. You can stop the pain that I am inflicting on you in one of two ways. You can physically prevent me from inflicting it, which I quite frankly don't think you can do. Or you can tell me you will clean up the mess you made and get started. You have sixty seconds to make your next decision, and fifty-seven of them are already gone."

Quinn gasped in alarm as his mother said, "Three. Two. One."

When Quinn didn't make a move, Helena once again drove an elbow into the same arm, breaking it in the same spot again. Quinn once again howled and grimaced in pain. Helena once again waited about a minute for the break to mend itself. She then said, "Quinn, you have sixty seconds to make your next decision, and fifty-eight of them are already gone. Two. One."

Quinn looked absolutely horrified as he saw his mother raise the same elbow to assault his just healed arm a third time. Before she could make a downward move, he growled out, "Okay!"

Helena didn't release the hold and her facial expression remained placid. She asked, "Okay you're cleaning or okay you want a broken arm again?" She twisted his wrist just a little to make the point. Quinn couldn't help the howl that escaped from his lips.

Quinn dejectedly grimaced out, "Cleaning. I'm cleaning."

Helena released the hold and said, "Now. All of it done before you leave for work. And it needs to start in earnest by the time I shower again and change my clothes."

Quinn sped into the bathroom and started a super fast cleaning job. Helena went back to her room to shower and get dressed a second time.

As he scrubbed the bathroom floor, Quinn heard his mother thinking _fucking cat piss. Ugh. _He heard her turn off the shower. Then he heard rapid back and forth movement. Quinn guessed that his mother was speed dressing into a new uniform. As the alpha tiger rocked back on his knees and scrubbed the toilet, he felt his body vibrating, wanting to shift. He tamped it down and kept scrubbing. But enough of his alpha tiger had taken over that he released a deep bellowing growl that echoed down the hall.

His mother was suddenly floating at the bathroom entrance in a fresh uniform and socks. "Who the fuck are you growling at?"

Quinn kept scrubbing, but he felt his mother's eyes boring into him, waiting for an answer. There were several seconds of this silent standoff, until Quinn saw his mother's thoughts. She was contemplating putting him in that arm hold again. He surmised that the step after that would be another arm break, and he remembered how much it fucking hurt. Finally, he muttered, "No one."

"I fucking thought so," Helena said as she sped out of the apartment and off to work.

Quinn dejectedly channeled his best Norman Bates from _Psycho_. "Sometimes... when she talks to me like that... I feel I'd like to go out there... and curse her... and-and-and leave her forever! Or at least defy her! But I know I can't."

His eyes glowed orange as he added, "But I will soon."

As Quinn scrubbed and cleaned the bathroom, he tried to remember why he instinctively resisted his urges to shift. He recalled the first and only time he had ever shifted into a tiger. It was January 1945. He was eight years old. Something happened. He couldn't remember what, only that it involved Afrida being in danger.

**# # # # # **

_Quinn remembered being scared and then the vibrations taking over his body. Then the next minute he was seeing the world through his tiger eyes. He … played with his food. Something living and tasty, but he couldn't remember what it was. He remembered his father and Afrida coming to find him. His father looked proud of him. Afrida was taken aback for a brief moment, but then she smiled and petted him._

_His mother was away on an assignment, but young Quinn wanted her to see him as a tiger. He loved his stripes and his roar. It was probably a tiny roar, but he remembered M patting him on the back and saying "Atta boy. Big roar. Do it again."_

_He roamed the private makeshift camp where they were stationed for days. He waited in his tiger form, anxious for his mother to come home and see him. He was happy. Then his mother finally returned and she looked upon him. He couldn't decipher her mood, but the feelings were unfamiliar. They were never feelings he had ever associated with his mother, at least not directed toward him. She was sad, maybe. Afraid, maybe. His adult android mind played with the feelings he had detected … repulsed, maybe._

_His mother didn't pet him like his father and Afrida did. But she did shift into a wolf, along with his father, and they raced through the woods. Afrida raced behind them, on foot. Quinn rubbed himself against Afrida's legs and roared his tiny tiger cub roar, marking her as his. His beautiful blonde Mom smiled down at him and caressed his little tiger head. He rubbed himself against his wolfen father the same way, and his father nuzzled him back._

_Then Quinn ambled over to his mother and rubbed himself against her, but she just stayed still for a moment. Then she ran off ahead of him. He ran along sniffing grass and trees, periodically marking spots on what he imagined would be his territory. His mother's emotions were dark and distant. He had never felt that before, and he suddenly longed for the connection and feelings he had always known from his mother. He couldn't remember how it happened, but soon after he felt that longing he shifted back. He was then just a nude little boy nestled against a tree._

_Then he saw his mother, also nude, standing over him. She had shifted out of her wolfen form. She was smiling as she picked him up and held him in her arms. She was hugging and kissing him. He could once again feel the warmth and love wafting over him from her, enshrouding him like a protective blanket. He loved being a tiger, but he wanted this feeling from his mother more than the feeling of being a tiger._

_Quinn recalled that several months later, his father had told him he was old enough to pick his surname. They all used their first names, mostly. But there were occasions when a surname was necessary to advance an assignment or blend into human society. Afrida's surname was Erasmus. She basically had chosen both a first and last name meaning "love" or "beloved."_

_Helena chose Wolfe, because she most identified with her alpha wolf nature. General M chose Stoker because he most identified with his vampiric nature, and chose to name himself after Bram Stoker, the author of the famous novel about Count Dracula and vampires. _

_Quinn knew immediately the surname he wanted. After he shifted into a tiger cub, Afrida read him a poem by William Blake entitled The Tyger. He loved that poem, and Afrida read it to him all the time as a child. He said he wanted his surname to be Blake, and his nickname to be Tiger._

_Quinn remembered that his mother had asked him whether he would rather have a maenad name or a fairy name, or even a vampire name like his father. She thought the name "Quinn Stoker" sounded nice. But Quinn shook his head, "No." He wanted to be Quinn "Tiger" Blake. He loved everything about the sound of that name. _

_His mother was still hesitant. Quinn remembered Afrida nodding in approval and General M interjecting on his behalf, saying "The boss has chosen his name, Helena. Quinn "Tiger" Blake it is. I think it's a great name."_

**# # # # #**

Quinn had kept his surname Blake, but somehow over the years the "Tiger" part disappeared. His android mind didn't forget anything, so Quinn was confused about how it was that he never remembered his first and only shift until now. Since his android mind was now working for his baby vampire, maenad, fairy, and tiger selves, it decided to help him out by running Google searches on repressed memories.

Quinn's android mind introduced him to brand new concepts like trauma, mental imprints and resurgence. His android self also found many stories about weak, beta fathers and domineering, bitch mothers. Quinn scowled as he processed all of this. His eyes glowed orange. Quinn knew something was going to have to be done about all of this, but as he finished scrubbing the bathroom and moved on to the kitchen, he wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do.

The only thing he knew for sure was that at this moment, Quinn "Tiger" Blake hated his bitch mother, one Helena Wolfe.

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_General Helena Gets a Much Needed Message From General M_**

Helena made it to her office at the Sonoran Desert Army base at 10:00 am, much later than she would have liked. She had just thirty minutes to gather her thoughts before Rachel Sullivan and the others arrived at 10:30 am. She had started the morning thinking about M, but spent the trip to Army Teleport and then to the Arizona base thinking about Quinn. She had no doubt that he was going through puberty. Helena knew this day would come. Dr. McFadden had repeatedly warned her that it would.

If Helena was honest with herself, more than a small part of her hoped that maybe her son's changes wouldn't come. It wasn't that she liked her son as solely an android. She realized that Quinn's android self was off-putting to most people, even her sometimes. And people like Dodson and Hammer made fun of Quinn because of his inability to pick up on social cues and fully express basic feelings. Helena hated that.

But it was also true that Helena had developed a certain familiarity and comfort over the years with dealing with her son the android. She knew how to teach him and take care of him. She didn't know what she would do with a raging baby vampire, maenad and fairy. But at least Helena _was _a vampire, maenad and fairy. Although she had never experienced being a baby full of raging, clamoring hormones, she at least knew what those impulses felt like. She had absolutely no frame of reference for dealing with a raging baby tiger. Quinn's inner feline was like a foreign language that Helena's inner canine didn't know how to speak.

Helena sighed as she felt a vibration in her pants pocket. She checked her phone and realized that she had several messages. She must have been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear or feel her phone pinging. To her simultaneous dread and delight, the messages were from M. Helena held her breath without realizing it as she checked the messages from oldest to most recent.

The first message read, "_I'm sorry for what I did last night. For even thinking of hurting you … in such a way. This isn't intended to be a substitute for a real face-to-face apology. I just wanted to say something to you ahead of your meeting."_

Helena knew her husband was cautious about using technology. He never left explicit text messages about anything too personal, but she knew full well what he was referring to. The second message said, _Don't worry about us. We're going to get through all of this. You, me and Afrida, and Quinn … we are going to be fine. We are going to stay a family, and we are going to be fine._

This made Helena smile and tears threatened to fall, but she didn't let them. The last message, which M had just left, said _I hope you aren't ignoring me. I understand if you need some space from me, however. I love you. Am I still your Cuddly Bear? :)_

The term "Cuddly Bear" was an inside joke. M often boasted that he was a fearless vampire wolf soldier who couldn't be defeated by anything. Afrida and/or Helena would respond that he wasn't so tough at all, and could be toppled rather easily. Then one of them, usually both of them, would hold M down and tickle him.

Quiet as it was kept, M was incredibly ticklish, if one knew exactly the right spots. He wasn't instantly ticklish on his stomach, which did it for most people, including Afrida. He was, however, very ticklish behind his ears, on the back of his neck, and between his thighs. Moreover, once a tickling fit had been started in one of these sensitive zones, M also became ticklish on his stomach. His two wives would hold him down as MacArthur giggled out that he was a fearless vampire or wolf soldier and demanded that they stop torturing him.

Helena and Afrida would tell M that he could make the tickle torture stop by admitting that he was not a fearless vampire or wolf soldier, but instead was just a cuddly teddy bear. He was a big, large cuddly teddy bear; and not really fearsome at all. Eventually M would relent and cry out that yes, he was a cuddly bear, a cuddly bear who belonged to Afrida and Helena. This playful battle often ended in kisses and lovemaking, and some of Helena's most pleasant memories.

The text messages, especially the last one, made Helena laugh and relax a little. She checked her watch and quickly dialed M. She couldn't talk long but she wanted to hear her husband's voice. He answered on the second ring, "Hello, Helena."

Helena took a breath. She felt nervous and a little giddy, as if she hadn't shared a bed and a life with the man on the other end of the phone for over a century. She whispered, "Hi, MacArthur. How are you?"

M replied, "Not so good. I'm feeling more than a little ashamed at the moment. I want to see you, but I know you have this meeting with_ that_ woman."

Helena replied, "I want to see you, too, MacArthur. I-"

M interjected, "Helena, I'm sorry for trying, for even thinking about hurting you. I'm sorry for holding you down like that, for even thinking about forcing you to … to – Forcing myself on you."

Helena heard M struggling to say the words and she cut him off. "I know MacArthur. I can feel how sorry you are. I'm sorry, too. About so much. I wish that I -"

M cut her off, "Helena. The time. You need to go get ready for your meeting. We have plenty of time to talk about everything later. Just know that I … We're going to be fine, yes?" M's tone indicated he wanted to sum up the most important thing, and let Helena go to her meeting with a clear head.

Helena smiled and said, "Yes. Yes, we are. M, we need to talk about Quinn. I think … I know, he's … It's happening. What Dr. McFadden said would happen to him. It's started. His voice is deeper. He acted out this morning. He pissed all over the apartment, and we had a big fight. He didn't want to clean it up, but I made him."

Helena could almost hear M frowning through the phone as he said, "Hmmm. Okay, I'll see what's up with Quinn today. It'll be fine. Go get ready for Rachel Sullivan and don't think about me, Afrida or Quinn. I'll see you later today."

Helena said, "Okay. Oh, MacArthur?"

"Yes?" M answered.

Helena smiled into the phone, "The answer to your question is, 'Yes.' You are still and will always be my Cuddly Bear."

M paused. Helena could hear him smiling now. Finally, he said, almost sounding like he was choking back tears, "Indeed, I am. And this time you didn't have to tickle it out of me. Now, go to your meeting. I love you."

Helena replied, "I love you, too, MacArthur."

Helena didn't want to hang up the phone. M had to do it for her. She heard the click and held the phone to her ear for a few minutes more. She didn't know why, but her heart was pounding, as if she couldn't believe the conversation that just happened. Underneath the surface of the words they had just shared was a kind of deep, genuine warmth that hadn't been in the background of Helena's interactions with M for a very long time.

With just those few words, M had lifted a portion of the weight that Helena had been carrying around since July 2009. She could sense that M was still confused and hurt about the Man From Dallas, but she felt in her heart that things would be okay. Maybe better than okay.

The alpha wolf closed her eyes and meditated, calming herself for the fifteen minutes she had left before her meeting with Rachel Sullivan.

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Quinn and Kara in Mission Strategies Command Group (MSCG - Work Sector 1)_**

Quinn stood in an open work area in Work Sector 1, the Mission Strategies Command Group (General M's Group) at the Sonoran base. He was reviewing testing data on AV weapons. It was 10:15 am. He had sped through all the cleaning and then showered and dressed. He gave his hair an extra shampoo to get all the pee out.

He was then fortunate to just make his train from the apartment to teleport, and a scheduled teleport to the Arizona base was transporting just as he arrived. The timing of everything was so perfect that, unbeknownst to Quinn, he arrived about ten minutes after his mother, who had to wait several minutes for both her train and her teleport.

Quinn was holding papers he was supposed to be reviewing, but he was looking out of a window. He was thinking about the fight with his mother, and his stomach was churning with a bunch of conflicting emotions. On the one hand he felt ashamed of how he had disobeyed her, fought her, and especially for cursing at her. His mother and father had taught him never to be disrespectful to his parents.

But Quinn was also angry with his mother for belittling him and embarrassing him. He didn't at all like being naped by the neck like a cub. He also was hurt as he remembered her insulting his tiger markings. That said, Quinn knew on some level that virtually no one liked cat piss all over their stuff, not even other cats. Hell, even he didn't like the smell in his hair, and it was his own piss. But a part of him couldn't help but translate his mother's hatred of his tiger _markings_ as stemming from a longstanding dislike of his tiger _self_. He especially felt this way as he remembered his mother's distance and coldness the very first time he had shifted.

Quinn was frowning and deep in thought about all of this, and so he didn't hear the footsteps behind him. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Kara Wellington's light green eyes and her beautiful smile. He noticed both. She said, "Hi Quinn."

Quinn smiled and replied, "Hi Kara."

Kara tilted her head and frowned, still smiling. She said, "Say that again."

Quinn smiled wide and said again, "Hi Kara."

Quinn suddenly couldn't remember why he had been feeling so dejected and angry. All he could think about right now was Kara, the beautiful young woman who looked so much like his mother. Her light green eyes were not quite as emerald as his mother's eyes. Her slightly curly, shoulder-length dark brown hair was not as dark as his mother's hair. Her height (5'10.5") made her just a little bit shorter than his mother. Kara's body, however, was just the same mixture of slender, toned and slightly curvy as Helena's.

And yes, as he had thought this morning when he scanned his mother's chest for inspiration for his fantasy of Kara as the stripper of his dreams, Kara's breasts were exactly the same size as his mother's. Quinn took this opportunity to fully take in Kara's body, and deliberately memorized what he could see of her full bosom pushing out from her form fitting zipper jacket. The sum total of Kara's features made her a striking, slightly younger looking doppelganger of his mother. And thanks to her new shampoo, she even smelled like his mother. Virgo Quinn did like familiarity; and Kara definitely looked and smelled familiar to him.

Kara's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Are you joking with me? Why does your voice sound like that? So different?" she asked.

Quinn shook his head, "I don't know. I think my voice changed a little since we last spoke. Afrida asked me kind of the same question."

Kara stared at Quinn like she was taking in a new person she was meeting for the first time. His hair was longer, and he hadn't shaved. Something about his eyes looked different, too. At first she thought it was just that his eyebrows were thicker, but she thought it was also something else. _Something behind his eyes, maybe. Something inside him that she could almost see through the window of his eyes._

Kara was most taken aback by Quinn's voice. It was much deeper and melodic, like music, not his usual robotic staccato. She thought and thought of who he sounded like now. His voice was as deep as Darth Vadar's or Optimus Prime's and as melodic as Sean Connery's. For a moment she imagined Quinn saying, "Bond. James Bond." Her heart fluttered and she felt a little warm at the thought.

Quinn noticed Kara's sapphire necklace. His android mind raced through prior images of her, and he noticed that the necklace was new. He reached out and held up the necklace with his fingers, lightly caressing Kara's neck in the process. He said, "This is pretty. It's new, isn't it?"

Kara couldn't believe Quinn noticed, and the slight touch of his long, warm, strong fingers on her skin was like electricity. The Quinn she knew would never have noticed her new necklace, and he had never touched her. The only physical contact they had ever had was the occasional brief caress of fingers as she passed him his cup of cocoa. Kara lived for this contact, and always made an effort to instigate it. Quinn, on the other hand, had never initiated even the slightest physical contact with her.

Kara was dumbstruck by this new Quinn. She recovered and said, "Y- yes. Sapphire's my birthstone. It's an early birthday gift from my Aunt Constance."

Quinn stared intently into Kara's light green eyes as he asked, "Oh, that's nice. When is your birthday?"

That voice, and his piercing emerald green stare. Kara was feeling a little weak in the knees, but she held it together and said, "This Sunday, September 12, I'm a Vir …"

"Virgo, yes." Quinn said at the same time as Kara. "I'm a Virgo, too. My birthday is Monday, September 20. No wonder we get along so well."

Kara exclaimed excitedly, "Then we should totally do something together. It doesn't have to be anything big. Maybe get something to eat?"

Quinn noticed the throbbing vein on Kara's neck and felt his mouth salivating. He smiled and said, "Yes, I'd like to eat. Very much."

It sounded to Kara almost like Quinn was talking about something other than food. But she didn't have time to process, because Quinn was physically invading her space. He stared down at her, locking eyes. He then leaned forward and touched his nose to hers.

For an exhilarating and frightening moment, Kara thought Quinn was going to kiss her. If he did, it would be the first time he did so knowingly; and the first time they shared a real kiss. Kara's sister-cousin Jenna had put her up to locking lips with Quinn under the guise of teaching him mouth-to-mouth techniques for their CPR certification class. However, Kara didn't count these interludes as real kisses because Quinn wasn't even aware of what he was doing. And while it had been nice to touch lips with Quinn, Kara couldn't say that the kisses were really that good. Quinn basically stood in place, unmoving, while Kara caressed his lips with hers. Android Quinn didn't show any signs of arousal, at least that Kara could detect.

This Quinn was definitely exhibiting signs of arousal and intense interest in Kara. He caressed Kara's arm as he touched noses with her. Kara's eyes widened at the intimate contact. She sniffed and whispered, "Have you shifted? Is … is this your first time?"

Quinn replied, "No, I almost shifted last night, and again this morning. But I didn't. I've only shifted once, a long time ago, when I was still a cub."

Kara reached up and twisted one of Quinn's pitch-black curls around her fingers. She murmured, "I can smell it on you. You're going to shift soon. Are you excited? About shifting, I mean. I like your hair."

Kara realized she was rambling like an idiot about a little of everything, but she couldn't help it. She had been pining over Quinn Blake for well over a year and a half, ever since she came to work for the VA Program in his mother Helena's division. She had endured long stretches where she wasn't sure Quinn even remembered her name, let alone felt anywhere near the same about her. And now, suddenly, Quinn was giving clear nonverbal signals that he liked her, maybe more than liked her, a lot. It was all Kara could do not to act downright giddy at the moment.

Quinn smoothly answered, "I don't know how I feel about shifting. I guess I'll figure it out when it happens. I like my hair this way, too. But I'm guessing someone will make me cut it soon. It's not military."

Kara interjected, "No, that's not true. You can grow your hair as long as you want. Workplace policy treats hair length as a protected physical characteristic because so many Weres work here, and their hair is considered a fundamental part of their Were makeup. You just have to wear it neat."

Quinn asked, "How do you know that?"

Kara answered, "Me and the other Weres who were hired at the same time had an orientation that included a segment on workplace polices and fairness. We learned, for example, that the program can't do things like make a lion cut his mane. You're a cat so you get the benefit of the hair cutting rule."

Quinn then asked, as he leaned down a bit more and rubbed his cheek against Kara's, "And what about my facial hair? Do the workplace rules allow me to keep it like this?"

Quinn inner android had never considered what specifically he felt about Kara, but Quinn's inner tiger had all kinds of thoughts about the beautiful brunette swirling in his mind. Quinn was still learning how to identify emotions. Some feelings were thrumming through his chest area. Other feelings were throbbing in much lower body parts. Quinn definitely liked Kara, a lot. Maybe more. But liking the beautiful brunette lioness a whole lot seemed like a good place to start.

Kara was currently feeling the same kind of warmth spreading in both her chest and much lower body parts. She struggled to answer Quinn's question. "Uhhhm, yes. You can probably keep the facial hair, but don't let it get much longer. Probably."

Quinn had been slowly walking forward and pushing Kara backwards. She didn't notice until her back was pressed against a wall. Quinn released a noise from his throat that sounded partly like a purr and partly like a growl.

Kara nervously whispered, "Quinn? What are you doing?"

Quinn stared intently at the beautiful woman who looked and smelled like his mother and said, "Nothing. Much."

Kara swallowed a lump in her throat. She could hear and feel her own heartbeat. She checked her watch and gasped at the time. She said, "I'm sorry, Quinn, but I have to go now. I have an appointment with your Mom, and I better not be late. Maybe, I'll see you …"

Quinn grabbed Kara's arm, pulling the beautiful lioness back and into his body. His grip was firm, almost unyielding, and a little unnerving. He murmured, "Not even a little bit late? Hmmm? For me?"

Kara was totally floored by this change in Quinn, but she liked it, a lot. She was also a little disconcerted by it. Quinn's smoldering edgy persona both attracted her and scared her a little. The beautiful brunette used all her strength to pull herself out of the orbit of Quinn's eyes and away from his steely grip.

She murmured, "Hmmm, no. I better go, Mr. Tiger Quinn. Don't look like that. I have to go. I don't want to, but your Mom needs me." Kara pulled away, still taking in Quinn.

Kara mused, "I'll bet you're going to look so impressive when you shift. You're so big. I can only imagine what your tiger will look like like."

Quinn thought and wanted to say _Fuck my mother. Just fuck her and stay with me. _But he knew Kara was extremely responsible, and he sensed that talking like that about his own mother would be a big turn off. Quinn definitely didn't want to push Kara away. He wanted the opposite, very much. So instead the alpha tiger smiled a charming, devilish smile and suggestively said, "Yes, I am very big. I can't wait for you to see it. My tiger, that is."

Something about the way Quinn said that made Kara blush into a deep shade of red. The beautiful, somewhat shy lioness ran off to her appointment, shaking her head to get rid of the Quinn-induced fog around her head.

For a brief moment, Kara turned back to look at Quinn. He was standing in the same spot, staring intently, as he always did. Only this time, he gave Kara a smirk that clearly said "_I'll catch you later."_

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_Meeting Between General Helena and HR Director Rachel Sullivan _**

_You hate cats._

That was the indictment that Rachel Sullivan, Human Resources Director for VA Program divisions in Washington, DC, Sonoran, Arizona and Satellite Draco had launched against Helena at an emergency meeting back in February 2009. Sullivan accused Helena of being bigoted and discriminatory toward cats. She then required Helena to hire and train cats. Sullivan would then assess the situation some time later and determine if Helena had "taken care of" the problem.

It was now 10:35 am on September 8, 2010. Helena had hired cats back in 2009, as required. She had worked with them and trained them for more than a year and a half; and now today was the moment of truth. Rachel Sullivan had scheduled this appointment to determine how Helena had performed since hiring her new cat employees. And she didn't want to hear about it from Helena. Sullivan had spoken with Helena numerous times since February 2009. During each of those conversations, Helena had assured Sullivan that her work with her cat employees was going well. Sullivan was no fool. She never took a bigoted manager's word that said manager was never, or no longer, a bigot. Today she planned to speak with the cats themselves.

Helena sat in her own office, slightly nervous, as Rachel Sullivan, a tall, stern looking middle-aged blonde woman with a too-straight body and light brown eyes, set up lie detecting equipment and laid out her notes. Rachel Sullivan had probably been reasonably attractive a long time ago, but she had lost some of her looks due to the hazards of her occupation. Her nose was a little too narrow and fine from pointing it in other people's business. And she had a few too many frown lines from showing her constant skepticism of her fellow employees. Her lips were a little too thin from pursing them in dismissal and judgment.

Sullivan remarked, "Well, General Helena. It's the day of truth. I'm sure you'll do fine, but you know I'll have to deal with any kind of problem. I hope these cats you hired sing your praises."

Rachel Sullivan continued to set up her equipment and notes, assuming an ownership position behind Helena's desk that made the alpha wolf stifle a growl. Helena watched in disgust as Sullivan finished the last of her preparations. Helena knew Sullivan was going to be tough, and that she would be looking for something, anything negative to latch onto. The alpha wolf sighed as she recalled how she ended up in this bullshit dog and pony show with Rachel Sullivan and the three cat employees on her team.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Thursday, February 19, 2009_**

**_Helena Remembers Receiving a Mandate from Rachel Sullivan_**

_Helena sat across from Rachel Sullivan's desk in a temporary office at the Sonoran Desert Army Base on February 19, 2009. Sullivan glared at Helena through clear, rectangular eyeglass frames as she asked, "Do you know why you're meeting with me today, General Wolfe?"_

_"No, I don't," Helena replied. The new Presidential administration had required all managers of the VA Program to take a series of management tests. Helena presumed this meeting with Rachel Sullivan had something to do with her test results, but she didn't know exactly what this was about. She was anxious to know why Rachel Sullivan was making a special trip to Arizona just to meet with her._

_Sullivan said, "We're here because this is important, and I wanted to meet with you myself so that you understand in clear terms that what I'm telling you is important. Very, very important."_

_"Okay," Helena cautiously answered, still confused._

_Rachel Sullivan opened a folder and flipped through papers. "We received the results from your Six Sigma Management Test and Your Implicit Association Test, and there is a very important issue that you need to address, immediately."_

_Helena sat silently, waiting for Sullivan to continue. The stern, slightly bitchy HR Director asked, "You understand that the Six Sigma evaluates management style, among other things? And that the Implicit Association Test measures prejudices, yes?"_

_Helena nodded._

_Sullivan continued, "Well, your tests indicate that you hate cats. In fact, the word "hate" doesn't really do justice to the level of loathing you have for cats. I've almost never seen anything like it."_

_Helena protested, "I don't hate anyone."_

_"Hmm," Sullivan considered. "No one who hates someone thinks that they do. Sometimes they think they're just calling it like they see it. That's not my concern. My concern is getting this new Presidential administration off to a solid start._

_I know you people have been used to operating like the Wild Wild West when it comes to civil rights, especially under the last President. But this administration has a strong commitment to civil rights and enforcement of nondiscrimination laws and policies in both the public and private sectors. This President wants to lead by example, which means all federal employees are to follow the highest standards when it comes to workplace fairness."_

_Helena reiterated, "I don't hate anyone. Your tests must be wrong."_

_Sullivan replied, "Hmm. I don't think so. These tests are cross checked then triple checked, making them virtually infallible. There may be some fluff on the margins, but in your case that's not relevant. Every measure we gave you reinforced the truth that you hate cats. Your test results are some of the most extreme I've ever seen, which is why I'm paying this visit to you myself."_

_Helena said, "I don't understand."_

_Sullivan explained, "Your credentials and work performance are stellar, General Wolfe. Beyond par. Which is why it's so surprising that someone as competent and intelligent as yourself would hold such brazenly bigoted views toward an entire group. It concerns me that you are a manager in the VA Program walking around with these kinds of unadulterated prejudices. At best, you're an embarrassment waiting to happen. At worst, you're a lawsuit."_

_Helena shook her head, "I don't understand. Why me?"_

_Sullivan retorted, "You tell me. Did a cat piss in your coke when you were five? I don't know. Whatever it is that you have against cats, its deep-seated, and entrenched."_

_"Well, what about the other generals? Why aren't General M and General Afrida sitting in here with me? Everyone has prejudices." Helena asked._

_Sullivan flipped through more papers, then observed, "Yes, you're right. General M does have prejudices. He has three, to be exact. He hates stupid people, cowards and people who fall into a category he lovingly calls assholes, the best illustrations of that last category being Carl Dodson and Frank Hammer._

_And General Afrida? Ah yes, she was quite fascinating. We lost count of all the people and things she hates. Some of the more interesting ones include people who are boring, people who are too rules-oriented and unimaginative, people who wear too much polyester or own anything made of corduroy, people who put leaky pens in their white shirt pockets, people who claim to hold hard right or hard left political views but disavow reading nonfiction, people who cover furniture with plastic, people who smoke filtered cigarettes or drink lite beer (She thinks these are hypocritical compromises. Either enjoy the vice or don't, but don't half-ass it and feel guilty about it. Oh, and she especially hates the very idea of Bud Lite Lime flavor.), people who eat at chain restaurants, and people who shop at Walmart."_

_Sullivan paused for a moment, then said, "The people who shop at Walmart thing worried me a bit, because in certain parts of the country it correlates with prejudices regarding political affiliation. And discrimination based on political affiliation is an actionable and covered category. However, we gave General Erasmus a second test that eliminated that concern. It turns out that she hates anyone who shops at Walmart, regardless of whether they are Republican, Democrat or Independent. So she's fine._

_That being said, despite her prejudices being permitted ones, General Afrida nevertheless leaves that shit at home. She's the Chief Science Officer. She has plenty of staff on her team who are boring and rules-oriented, and several of them have ink-stained shirts and wear polyester pants. One gentleman, a Weretortoise named Terripin Curry, owns lots of stuff made of corduroy. He happens to be one of her best and brightest employees. Her staff gave her a Walmart sweatshirt for Christmas, and she wore it to the holiday party. It appears that despite her personal antipathies, General Afrida loves everyone. Her entire team loves her back and thinks she's the greatest boss ever. _

_Helena rolled her eyes and protested, "I don't understand. How can General Afrida and General M brazenly hate that many kinds of people and be okay?"_

_Sullivan smiled, as if she was waiting for this question, "Then let me explain it to you. General M hates people for reasons that are not protected by a federal or state stature. Nor are they protected by the administrative policies of the federal government. Same thing goes for General Afrida. That means that General M is free to discriminate against stupid people, cowards and assholes as much as he wants. He can call them names based on these characteristics. He doesn't have to hire them._

_Same thing goes for General Afrida. If she doesn't want to share her work space with boring, unimaginative people who wear polyester and go to McDonald's every day for lunch, godspeed._

_You, on the other hand General Wolfe, hate cats, a group that is protected by the policies of this administration. Now I understand that the Vampire Rights Amendment, the Werewolf Rights Amendment, the overarching bill put forth by Senator Lycan that would protect all supernaturals from discrimination … I understand that none of these laws have passed yet._

_However, that doesn't matter for you as an employee of the federal government. This President has made an unequivocal policy decision that he wants to set the standard when it comes to fair employment for supernaturals, which means he's giving all supernaturals, and yes that includes cats, nondiscrimination protections as a matter of workplace policy. And as a manager, you are expected and required to uphold both the letter and spirit of these rules. You understand the difference now?"_

_Helena nodded and frowned as she said, "So what now?"_

_Sullivan, "The what now is that we go about correcting this situation. We first make sure that you are aware of your prejudices and suppress them, at least in this workplace. If you want to hate cats on your personal time, so be it; but you can't bring it in here."_

_Helena interjected, "You are aware that my only child is a cat, Ms. Sullivan?"_

_Rachel Sullivan smiled and leaned forward. "You know, General Wolfe, my job as HR Director is fascinating. I spend a lot of my day talking to people. Observing people, and then more talking. Talk, talk, talk. Through all of this talking and observing I've learned that there are always three sides to every story. Yours. Theirs. And the truth._

_While it is technically true that your only child, Quinn … who has no prejudices by the way. Very sweet young man you raised. So yes, anyway, he is technically a cat. But it's also true that he is a repressed cat who only expresses his android component."_

_"Who told you that?" Helena growled._

_Sullivan was nonplussed by the growling. She had worked this job for too long and seen too much, from spitting Werellamas to hissing Weresnakes. A growling Werewolf general was nothing to her. _

_Sullivan mused, "Hmm, oh fuck it. I'll tell you. They seemed to want you to know, anyway. Generals Hammer and Dodson said your son is a repressed bitch cat. Not my words. I'm just quoting. So the fact that you have a repressed bitch cat for a son doesn't help your case at all. It actually hurts it and bolsters the results of this IAT test."_

_Helena growled upon hearing what Hammer and Dodson had told Sullivan about Quinn. Rachel Sullivan took notes and intoned, "Go ahead. Growl it out, girlfriend. My job isn't to be nice to you. It's to keep my administration and this President from being embarrassed or sued._

_I'll cut to the chase, which is the second reason for this meeting. The first part was to make you painfully aware that you hate cats, and to let you know that we know you hate cats. You can protest all you want. You're a bigot. You're a bigot who hates cats._

_You have two choices for dealing with your bigotry. You can work to get rid of it, but that takes time. Expanding your mind is difficult. So in the meantime, you need to improve the visuals, which is the second reason for my visit."_

_Helena was confused. "Improve the visuals? What does that mean?"_

_Sullivan observed, "Look at General Hammer. He's an excellent example of what you need to do. He hates Chinese people. He thinks they charge too much at his local dry cleaners, and he's angry that they mass-produced fortune cookies. Now everybody gets promised they will travel to exotic places. Most never do. _

_Yet, ten percent of Hammer's staff is Chinese and his Chinese employees think he's a good manager who supports them, so I don't give a fuck what he thinks on his personal time when he's picking up his dry cleaning and eating Chinese food."_

_"So what?" Helena asked._

_Sullivan responded, "The so what is that you're going to hire and train cats on your team. You need to hire three, and one of them needs to be male. This constitutes just over 5% of your staff, which is miniscule compared to every other manager in the VA Program, including Generals M and Afrida, by the way."_

_Helena started to protest, but Sullivan put up her hand. "You're going to fucking do it, General Helena. You have absolutely no cats among your more than fifty direct reports. That combined with your now known prejudices against cats is enough for somebody to sue you as we speak._

_And for god's sake, spare me the shit about you can't find any qualified cats. Your jobs are coveted and you can hire from all over the country. So don't tell me there's not a single cat in the entire United States of America qualified to work on your team._

_Every manager in this place, including Generals M, Afrida, Dodson and Hammer have at least three cats on their staffs. Hell, Marigold Caster, the witch who works here as an independent contractor has several cats that work for her out in the field. The fact that you don't have any cats at all working for you therefore speaks volumes, especially in the hands of a good plaintiffs' lawyer._

_So you need to hire three cats, ASAP. And no, I'm not counting your bitch cat son. Not my words, just quoting. The cats you hire need to be full-blooded cats. If you run into trouble and find someone good who's at least half cat, call me and we can discuss it. But your goal should be three full-blooded cats, and one of them needs to be male to protect us against gender discrimination._

_Helena frowned and growled at the thought of being told who to hire. Sullivan shook her head and said, "That's it. Get it allllll out of your system, girlfriend. Because this shit is going to happen. And soon. It's best if you look at the positive. You're at least going to get to make the hiring decisions. One other small bit of good news is that your test revealed the two types of cats you hate the least – lions, and of course tigers. Maybe it's that your sun sign is in Leo and your son is part tiger. Who knows._

_And let's be clear, you do hate lions and tigers. You just hate them less than other types of cats. So my suggestion would be that you focus your hiring goals on tigers and lions. Although tigers are hard to find. They're solitary and endangered; and experience has shown that tigers don't do well in military office settings. Snipers, yes. Spies, yes. Detonating anti-personnel landmines, yes. Sitting in an office with fifty other people doing research, no._

_Lions, on the other hand, are highly intelligent, used to collaborating in groups, and enjoy office environments, especially ones with air conditioning and free drinks. You have a lot to offer them in your department, I think. So, if I were you, I'd focus on hiring three lions for your group._

_I'm here to convey that you need to take this very seriously, General Wolfe, as seriously as you take any other aspect of you job. A discrimination charge can seriously harm your career. You're dedicated. So I trust that if you put your mind to this, you will shine through with flying colors._

_You should also understand that your responsibilities don't end at hiring. You need to be sincere about giving the cats you hire training, mentoring and fair opportunities to excel and be promoted. This is going to challenge you, General Wolfe, because you will be working closely on a daily basis with cats."_

_Helena winced at the thought._

_Sullivan kept talking as she packed up her papers. "And please know that I'm everywhere. I look for things, and if I see a problem I will get to the bottom of it. Trust that. Oh, while I have you, a brief point about sexual harassment. Sexual harassment includes opposite sex and same-sex harassment. It should go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway, that you can't fuck any of your direct reports. Nor can you fuck a non-report who is junior to you. _

_Since you are a general, basically the only people you can fuck on the job are other generals. Reliable sources tell me you're fucking not one, but two generals, so I'm going to take that to mean you have no reason to play the cougar hunting after young gazelles."_

_Helena replied calmly, "I do not."_

_Sullivan quipped, "Of course, you wouldn't play the part of a cougar, anyway. Because you hate cats."_

_Helena objected, "I don't hate cats."_

_Sullivan quickly answered, "Hmm mmm. Good. Whatever. Glad to hear it. I see you frowning in distaste, General Helena. Please know that it doesn't titillate me in the least to say this, but it's my job to know everybody on this base who's fucking someone else on this base. I'm everywhere. I've got eyes everywhere. Don't get tempted. We have a no tolerance policy on this rule. You fuck some hot young Colonel in the storage closet, and it's instant retirement, even for someone of your caliber, General Wolfe. And don't think I won't know because I will find out. Lie detectors don't lie._

_So that's my sexual harassment talk, and now I get to check it off my list. Now back to the primary business at hand. You need to hire those three cats; and the sooner the better because after they're hired I'm giving you one year. Hmmm, no, forget that. More like a year and a half because the beginning of a year is always fucked and you're not ruining my summer vacation. So sometime after August 2010, I'll be back here to see how you've done with managing your cat employees. _

_And I'll want to hear about their work experience from them, not you. I want to hear what they think of you as a manager, whether you've trained them and given them fair chances to excel and get promoted. That sucks, I know. It gives them a lot of power, which can be abused. But it also gives you a strong incentive to do your best to work with them and have a good experience that emulates the best and fairest employment practices. Don't be too worried about them screwing you. They'll be hooked up to the VA Program's own latest lie detecting equipment. If they try to screw you unfairly, I'll know. Lie detectors don't lie._

_Helena processed all of this in a bit of a daze as she watched Rachel Sullivan pack up her things and head for the door. Sullivan concluded, "Get on this, General Helena. It will be fine. Don't worry. I'll check on you periodically to see how things are going. But now I have other people to see. There's a forty year old Werecougar in Accounting who is literally fucking her twenty year old Weregazelle secretary. I swear I can't make this shit up. Anyway, happy cat hiring. Meow!" _

**_# # # # # _**

_**Helena Remembers Arielle Wellington and her Family Pride**_

And that is how General Helena Wolfe came to be sitting in her office on this day, September 8, 2010, waiting for HR Director Rachel Sullivan to finish setting up her lie detector equipment. Sullivan intended to follow up and inspect the results of Helena's hiring three full-blooded cats back in February 2009. The alpha wolf was a good soldier. She did as she was told.

At first Helena wondered how she would ever go about finding three qualified lions, or tigers, which seemed to be an even greater stretch. Then seemingly out of the blue, Arielle Wellington, Queen of the Wellington lion pride, called Helena asking if she had any space for a new employee, a new full-fledged, _lion _employee.

Back in February 2009, Helena hadn't yet met the Man From Dallas. If she had, she would have known about Quantum Rule Five – randomness is not random; and very few coincidences are actually coincidences. Had Helena known this rule at the time, she would have found it highly suspicious that at a fortuitous moment Arielle Wellington called with an offer she couldn't refuse.

Kara "Arielle" Wellington 49th, called by her middle and "ruling name" Arielle, was the queen of the most powerful family of lions, some said in the United States. Others said Queen Arielle's wealth and power surpassed all others (human, Were, vampire or other supernatural) on Planet Earth. The term "wealthy" didn't sufficiently describe the Wellington family's holdings. They were at least _multi-billionaires._ They also were among an exclusive, tiny number of elite Were families rumored to control the world. The Wellington's wealth, even their very existence, was a secret that went unreported by Forbes Magazine and other periodicals that claimed to follow the rich and famous. The Wellington name, quite by design, doesn't appear on any Fortune 500 list or billionaire's list.

Afrida was the first in the family to meet the Wellington pride, which was comprised of a few males and ten extremely gorgeous Werelionesses, including the stunning Queen of the pride, Arielle Wellington. In the summer of 2007, Afrida was invited by General James Cavanaugh to be his "date" for a very private party hosted by Arielle at the Wellington residence, which was housed on the very top penthouse floor of a towering skyscraper stretching 75 stories into the sky on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Afrida met Arielle, the alluring but sadistic brunette with cat green eyes, and immediately called Helena and M to tell them they needed to come to the Wellington residence as soon as possible, because Arielle was most definitely a "person of interest." Within Helena, Afrida and M's spousal unit, the term "person of interest" was code for someone who possessed qualities that would be attractive to one or more of the three. A "person of interest" was a likely candidate for an extramarital sexual encounter. In this particular case, according to Afrida's somewhat frantic phone call, Arielle had "Helena Wolfe" written all over her. Helena trusted her wife's judgment, and attended that private party.

Helena's "encounter" with Arielle and the other Werelionesses in the Wellington pride became Helena's greatest sexual conquest; but it wasn't without a cost. Arielle started out as the kind of fuck Helena had enjoyed many times before, but their fucking suddenly turned into something else. Helena didn't know exactly how it happened, but a simple game of domination transformed, without warning, into something much more profound. Something between Helena and Arielle was … _consummated_. A connection was formed between the alpha wolf and the alpha lioness, which for Helena was most disturbing because she absolutely hated everything about Arielle Wellington. For Arielle's part, the feeling was quite mutual. Or so Helena and Arielle told themselves.

Helena thought that much of what was whispered about the Wellingtons and a few other powerful Were families was nothing more than cobbled-together conspiracy theories. But after meeting the powerful and mysterious Werelion family, Helena had to admit they lived up to the hype and played the part of evil megalomaniacs well. An internet search would uncover all sorts of accusations and theories about the Wellington family. Some said they controlled the weather and the stock market. Some said the Wellingtons didn't just control the federal government; they _were _the federal government. And of course, they paid no taxes. Plenty of websites said the Wellingtons were immortal.

Some websites swore that Arielle Wellington had selected every President of the United States, including the current one, who was supposedly himself a Werelion. Arielle had supposedly orchestrated the assassinations of both Lincoln and Kennedy, and the attempted assassination of Reagan as a warning to keep him in line. The Wellingtons controlled most of the real estate in the United States and a lot of real estate around the world through a complex web of secret trusts and anonymous private stock holdings. The Wellington family pride was an extended family rumored to comprise thousands of Werelions. The exact head count was a closely guarded secret.

Kara "Leonine" Wellington 50th, the beautiful brunette who so resembled Helena and brought Quinn his cocoa on mornings when he worked on Satellite Draco, was the 50th Kara Wellington, daughter of Arielle and future Queen of the Wellington family pride. Kara 50th emerged from a long line of lionesses whose generations stretched back literally thousands of years, exactly how many years was also a closely guarded family secret. Kara Wellington was the given name passed down by tradition from the first Kara Wellington, who supposedly engaged in a very revolutionary act that gave birth to the Wellington family pride.

The first Kara Wellington supposedly changed the order of rule within her pride, relegating her male lion husband to a lesser status, essentially that of a marginal protector and sperm donor valued solely for his genetic material. This first Kara Wellington, so it was said, astutely observed that Werelionesses did all of the cub rearing, all of the hunting and all of the administrative work of running the pride. Lionesses were smart, industrious and cooperative; and yet, they ceded power, authority and their surname to a sole male Werelion who spent most of his time sleeping and eating the food that the lionesses worked so hard to kill.

Male Werelions claimed to provide protection, but often created a state of panic within the pride by, among other things, killing off cubs that were sired by other males. They also occasionally used their superior one-on-one physical strength to attack and hurt lone Werelionesses. Of course, no single lion, male or female, can defeat a coordinated pride of lionesses working together. This sisterhood was stressed by the first Kara Wellington as the key to building a dynasty unlike any other before it.

It was the first Kara Wellington who decided that the Werelionesses of her line would never again cede their name and power to a male lion. In her opinion, all of the deference and sacrifice typically given by a pride of lionesses might be worth it if male lions could fuck. But quiet as it's kept, most male lions have woefully low testosterone levels. This state of affairs leaves the Werelionesses constantly wanting. Lionesses routinely are forced to poke and prod the so-called "King of the Jungle" just to get enough sex to make a few cubs. Anything more is in most cases impossible to extort.

Because of the sorry state of affairs regarding the sex drive of most Werelions, the secret that all Werelionesses know is that lionesses often sexually satisfy each other (hence the affectionate "sisterly" love so clearly observable among any pride of lionesses). More adventurous lionesses who are brave enough to go outside their Were species may seek sex from other more virile male cats, especially those cats who are part of the same family, the genus _Panthera_ – tigers, jaguars, and leopards. Tigers are especially appealing, because their sex drives are unparalleled in the world of cats. But such a move by a lioness is considered anathema, and may result in derision and scorn, especially among "blue blood" lion families like the Wellingtons.

The Wellingtons followed a tradition established by the first Kara Wellington. The Wellington family name was preserved through the parentage of the lionesses, specifically the Queen. The Queen of the Wellington pride was the supreme ruler. She was advised by her entire pride, and she relied significantly on the advice of her lieutenant, the second in command. This lieutenant was always one of the queen's sister-cousin lionesses. Males who came into the family were required to adopt the Wellington surname. Marriage was a two-part ceremony. The public marriage was a traditional exchange of vows. The private marriage was a sacred "bonding ritual" that made the new family member a Wellington forever.

Supposedly, the Wellington pride had acquired gifts, or special powers, through hybridization and millennia of existence as a family. The gifts supposedly were transferred among members via sacred rituals. If certain internet websites were to be believed, the Wellingtons were part of the Illuminati, whatever that was exactly (a few definitions are floating around on the World Wide Web). Others say the Wellingtons maintain their power through black magic, or a direct connection to Lucifer himself. The sum total of all these rumors is that the Wellingtons are evil incarnate, packaged in the form of an impossibly beautiful, incomprehensibly wealthy, pride of Werelionesses.

And Helena learned all of this history, or "silly rumors and slander," as Arielle called it, during post-coital pillow talk with the evil Queen of the Wellington pride. Although Helena disbelieved almost all of the internet rumors, she personally observed that Arielle was utterly and irrevocably sadistic and evil, an entity to be avoided at all costs. However, as much as Helena hated Arielle, she noted that Arielle's husband, Assad Wellington, made Arielle look like a veritable angel. At least Arielle's sadism always had a business motive. Assad was sadistic as a way of life. He administered pain for pleasure, out of boredom, and because he could.

Helena had never met people like the Wellingtons. Their world view was so strange to her that Helena wanted to flee but found herself pausing, despite herself, to take them in. During her long erotic weekend spent with the Wellington pride back in 2007, Helena gawked at the Wellington pride in much the same way that highway drivers slow down to witness a terrible car wreck, their gaze simultaneously horrified and drawn in by the awful display of mangled metal and flesh.

As someone who struggled always to seek that which was positive, spiritual and good in life, the alpha wolf resolved to move forward from her incredibly memorable, and deeply disturbing, sexual encounter with the evil lioness, Queen Arielle. Helena vowed to forever avoid any future interactions with Arielle. Fate, it seemed, had other plans for Helena Wolfe regarding the presence of Arielle Wellington in her life.

**# # # # #**

**_Friday, February 20, 2009_**

**_Helena Finds Three Lion Employees From an Unexpected Source_**

_"Helena, how have you been?" Arielle's voice purred into the phone. "You don't write. You don't call. I'm beginning to think you don't love me."_

_"I don't," Helena replied flatly. If Arielle could see Helena's facial expression, however, she would have known that Helena didn't mean what she said._

_Arielle was undeterred, as Helena knew she would be. But the Werelioness, who looked like a slightly older version of her daughter Kara, nevertheless feigned being deeply hurt, as Helena knew she would. _

_Arielle purred into the phone, "Now Helena, there's no need to hurt my feelings in such a deep and personal way. You know I'm open for you … especially after … everything we shared together. To whom much is given, much is required. In your case, a little basic decency would be nice."_

_Despite herself and what she fully believed about Arielle Wellington's inherent evil, Helena felt a pang of guilt. She softened her earlier statement by saying, "I'm sorry, Arielle. I didn't mean to be … flippant. Yes, I think of you. Often." The declaration was surprisingly warm, much warmer than Helena intended given her history with Arielle._

_Arielle's purring seemed to deepen, as she said, "That's much better, Helena. I know we haven't spoken with each other since … 2007. But I'm calling to ask you a favor, of all things. I hope it can be accommodated. It seems my daughter Kara, the future Queen of the Wellington pride, wants to serve her country before undertaking her family responsibilities. I was reticent, but what can I do? Children want what they want, and we loving parents try to give it to them."_

_Helena rolled her eyes. Arielle continued, "I don't want Kara going just any place. I wondered what to do, and then I thought of you. I … trust you … very much, Helena. I was safe in your capable hands at one point. I've never forgotten that."_

_Arielle paused for effect and purred into the phone. Despite herself, Helena's wolfen clit responded to the purring. Helena suspected that Arielle knew and calculated precisely the effect she was having on the alpha wolf. Arielle finally continued, "So, I would really like for Kara to come work with you, personally. On your … team, if that's what you call it. I want you to train her."_

_Helena thought for a moment. She needed this, and Arielle was making it easy. Had she thought about it, she would have questioned the fact that it was too easy. Just too coincidental. But she didn't think too much about it at the time. Helena couldn't afford to look this gift horse in the mouth. She would deal with it later if it turned out to be a Trojan Horse. _

_Helena heard herself saying, "As a matter of fact, Arielle, your timing is perfect. I actually could use three new hires, if you have any recommendations. And I'd like one of them to be male."_

_Helena could hear Arielle purring deep in her throat as she thought about the request. Helena hated the sound, partly because it sexually aroused her, but Helena would never consciously admit that. Consciously, Helena gritted her teeth in annoyance and told herself she was going to have to get used to the annoying sound of purring. Lots and lots of purring from her three new cat employees. _

_Arielle eventually murmured, "Helena, I can take care of all your needs, yes. I have just the perfect three cats. My daughter Kara, of course, who is extremely intelligent, just purrrfect in every way. But then, I'm biased. But she really is the best._

_I'll also send you my niece Jenna Wellington and her fiancé Brad Baxter. Jenna is highly intelligent and hard working. I doubt you'll be able to keep her busy because she's so efficient. She can be a little mischievous, but I know you'll give her strong and loving correction when she needs it. It will be good for her, and she'll like it. I know I did._

_Helena remained quiet, refusing to take the sensual bait. Arielle concluded, "Brad is just, well, a typical male lion. But I know that you can handle him."_

_Helena swallowed, not believing she really had to do this. She heard herself saying, "Wonderful, when can they start?"_

_Arielle purred out, "They can start right away. I'll have them to you first thing Monday morning. And Helena, don't be such a stranger. I … miss you."_

_Helena paused and listened to Arielle's breathing. She didn't want to respond to that last comment, even though in her mind she thought, "I miss you, too. Very much."_

_But instead Helena simply said, "Thank you, Arielle. Goodbye."_

_Helena briefly contemplated asking Arielle whether she needed to check with Kara, Jenna and Brad to make sure they could start work so soon, but she realized that's not how a lion pride operated. At least, that not how the Wellington lion pride operated. Arielle was the undisputed Queen; and if Queen Arielle said Kara, Jenna and Brad were starting work on Helena's team first thing Monday morning, then that was how it was going to be._

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Ronald Reagan Cafeteria Hall and Break Room for Work Sectors 1-3_**

**_Tiger Quinn Needs Non-chocolate Candy_**

Quinn's mind, and more importantly his body, was in a state of frenetic excitement after his conversation with Kara Wellington. Quinn had memorized Kara's every essence in the brief time he was with her in the open work area in Sector 1. Kara's scent filled his nostrils. Her voice flowed through his body like a low hum. He carried a vivid picture of her facial features, and her body, in his mind. His inner android, on the command of his ravenous babies, recorded moving video and snapshots of Kara from every possible angle. These images were looping over and over in Tiger Quinn's mind.

Quinn was … extremely hungry, for something that he knew intuitively Kara could satisfy. But he wasn't sure exactly what, yet. He needed the information that would allow him to bridge the gap between his pent up desire and the release he instinctively craved. In the meantime, Quinn's sexual frustration translated its way to his stomach and taste buds. He had extensive experience satisfying the cravings emanating from those parts of his body, which is how he found himself making a steady path from Work Sector 1 to the vending machine in the Ronald Reagan Cafeteria (RRC).

Quinn stood in front of the vending machine frowning. More frustration. He had never noticed before just how many items in the RRC contained chocolate. Quinn had always loved chocolate, until the unexpected adverse reaction he experienced the previous night. Now just the thought of eating chocolate made him ill. Quinn's inner android had completed an investigation and surmised that the alpha tiger's sudden aversion to his favorite sugary treat was due to the emergence of his feline aspect. Felines, like canines, are allergic to chocolate, which, in large quantities, can be debilitating, even fatal.

Quinn was going to have to adapt his sweet tooth to concoctions of the non-chocolate persuasion. And right now, the RRC vending machine wasn't cooperating. He peered across all the rows and rows of artificial goodness, until he saw it. Tucked behind three chocolate bars was the familiar red packaging with white letters – Skittles. Quinn's eyes lit up as he dug in his pockets for change. He would have to pay for three chocolate bars just to get to that lonely red pack of sugary non-chocolate goodness, but it was worth it. Some lucky beneficiaries would enjoy the three chocolate bars he planned to leave on one of the cafeteria tables.

Quinn fed the machine and worked his way through the chocolate bars, feeling a slight pang of sadness as each one _clunked_ down to the access trough at the bottom of the machine. His mouth watered as he fed the last coins he had into the coin slot. He listened as the machine accepted his money and the familiar whirring began, signaling that his Skittles were being pushed into a delightful freefall from the little spiral shelf down to the access trough and within Quinn's reach. Except that didn't happen. Quinn frowned as he watched the spinning spiral shelf come to a sudden stop, still clutching a tiny corner of his Skittles in its grip.

Quinn was just about to tilt the machine, when he heard an annoying voice behind him say, "Come onnnnnn! How long is this gonna take. Some of us have work to do, you know."

Quinn didn't have to turn around. He knew all too well the annoying voice belonging to the even more annoying person of a Weretortoise named Terripin Curry, Terri for short. Terri was a scientist in Afrida's group in Sector 3. He was short, slightly pale and pudgy, and wore large square glasses that were impossibly thick. He combed his sandy brown hair too much from front to back, and his voice was an annoying combination of deep and nasally. Terri had a sweet tooth that rivaled Quinn's, and as a consequence the two of them often ran into each other at the RRC vending machine.

Quinn the android had always been oblivious to Terri's annoying idiosyncrasies, but now that his baby tiger, vampire, maenad and fairy were awake and observant, they each had plenty of thoughts about the pushy, obnoxious little Weretortoise, and none of them were good. Terri moved painstakingly slow, blocking the path of anyone wishing to move down a crowded hallway from Point A to Point B. But let the little shit piece of turtle want something, and no one around him could move fast enough. And one of the things he always wanted was candy from the vending machine. Quinn's inner babies were just about to tell Terri to pipe the fuck down, when suddenly he heard his name being called.

Quinn looked up to see his father and some Pentagon generals calling him. He looked at General M, then back longingly at his suspended Skittles. Quinn's inner android had been tasked with managing his babies just enough to keep Quinn out of trouble. Right now, the android was telling Quinn the choice between retrieving a bag of Skittles and speaking with his father and some muckety-mucks from the Pentagon was a no-brainer. Quinn turned to Terri and said, "Go ahead. Those Skittles are mine, by the way. I already paid for them. I just need to knock them free."

As Quinn was standing with his father and shaking the hand of some random Pentagon generals, his eyes remained fixated on the vending machine and the lone bag of Skittles precariously suspended in its spirally prison. A general was speaking. Quinn's android handled the task of answering whatever bullshit he was talking about. But his four babies were absolutely apoplectic as they watched that Weretortoise fuckwad jab his corduroy-covered hip into the vending machine, tilting the machine and knocking free that lone bag of Skittles. _Quinn's bag of Skittles._

General M and the other generals said goodbye and exited just in time. Quinn made a beeline for the cheap little greedy turtle fuck, who had the unmitigated audacity to take not only Quinn's bag of Skittles, but also the three chocolate bars that Quinn paid for just to get to the Skittles. Before the inner android could reign them in, the ravenous babies twisted Terri's shirt and pinned him to the machine. Quinn growled, "Give me my fucking candy, you little cooter bitch."

Terri was not bothered in the least by Quinn's aggression. Being roughed up a little was a small price to pay for free candy. Terri's mind was already contemplating the taste of the motherlode of chocolate and Skittles he had just scored. Quinn could tell the cooter turtle fuck was cheap by the fact that he had been rotating the same five pairs of corduroy pants for at least three years.

Scientists were only required to wear uniforms if they had official business or someone important was likely to take a tour of the lab. Terri was rude and lacked basic social skills, so Afrida never let anyone official or important interact with him, hence the endless loop of five pairs of corduroy pants. Today was Wednesday, otherwise known as blue corduroy day. The corduroy pants were always paired with the same type of white dress shirt, its ink-stained pockets stuffed with pens.

Terri sneered, "Fuck off, idiot. You snooze, you lose."

Quinn's android tried to intervene and reason with Terri, before the four babies fucked him up. "Look Terri, you can have the three candy bars. I don't care. I just want … I need the Skittles. You know you didn't pay for them, so give them up."

Terri stuffed the Skittles in his pocket and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, asshole. I'm not giving you shit. You should have finished your transaction before you left the machine. That's the rule. Now get off me."

Quinn pushed Terri more firmly, and was just about to punch him when he heard voices closing in. The alpha tiger wanted those Skittles. They were a one-off bag left orphaned in the midst of a sea of now inedible chocolate, and he needed them. More importantly, _he had paid_ for those Skittles. And no way was he letting this cheap little tortoise prick steal his candy. Android Quinn would have let this shit go if he noticed it at all, but tiger Quinn was mad as hell and gearing up for a fight.

Terri gibed, "I'm a First Lieutenant, and you're a Colonel. You outrank me, and you're going to be in big shit if you hit me. I'll make sure of it. So go for it." Terri's tortoise eyes glinted into a deep obsidian. He delighted in taunting Quinn.

Quinn's inner android checked the swing of his tiger arm. Quinn scowled as Terri grinned and said, "Let go of me. Now."

Quinn's babies were not ready to give up the Skittles, but the voices of potential witnesses to a tortoise beat down were moments away from turning a corner and entering the vending area.

Terri piped up, "Hellllllppp. Somebody, help." The conniving little bastard had a talent for appearing much more needy and helpless than he actually was.

Quinn reluctantly listened to his wise inner android who said, "_All this over Skittles, really? Don't embarrass yourself and get an infraction over fucking Skittles."_

Quinn's eyes flashed bright orange as he released the little smirking tortoise prick, but not before he read his mind and picked up two vital pieces of information. The first piece of intel was that Terri planned to go to the Gerald Ford Game Room (FGR) during his lunch to battle some other weirdo staff members in World of Warcraft. The second piece of flashing neon signage in Terri's mind pointed to the one thing that the sniveling little Weretortoise loved more than Skittles, more than anything, in fact.

Terri took a moment to gloat one last time at Quinn before shuffling slowly back to his office. The alpha tiger could hear his tasty multi-colored treats jingling in Terri's blue corduroy pocket, but Quinn remained calm. He didn't give a fuck about losing this little battle with the short little cooter fuck, because now the alpha tiger had a game plan for rectifying the wrongful taking of his Skittles. And it was going to be most delicious.

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_HR Director Sullivan's First Interviewee – Brad Baxter_**

HR Director Rachel Sullivan had finally finished setting up her lie detector equipment and organizing her notes. Sullivan asked from behind Helena's desk, "Do you know why I'm doing this in your office, General Helena?"

Helena shook her head and said, "No, I don't."

Sullivan replied, "Because one time someone who failed the test filed a complaint alleging that my office was unfamiliar and intimidating, which adversely affected their employees' performance on the test. Now I hold these tests in the employees' offices. Takes away that bullshit argument."

Sullivan got up, walked across the room, and leaned her head outside Helena's office door. She called in the first cat interviewee, Brad Baxter. Brad sauntered into the room. Rachel Sullivan directed him to take a seat next to Helena, and she began hooking wires and electrodes to his arm and forehead.

Brad paused for a moment before sitting down. He regarded the seat as if it might be coated with some detritus or an infectious disease. He was especially interested in the cleanliness of the top part of the chair, which would be touching his long blonde mane. Eventually, he slumped into the chair and pushed one leg out in front of him. For the added touch, he stretched and yawned. Helena rolled her eyes.

Bradford Helmsley Baxter 39th (aka Brad Baxter) personified every negative stereotype that Helena believed and detested about cats. Physically, Brad Baxter was extremely handsome, tall (6'2"), very blonde, and had a slender but muscular build. He looked and acted like a star quarterback at a Big Ten college who was accustomed to having everything brought to him on a platinum platter, including blowjobs from the entire cheerleading squad.

Brad also was conniving, duplicitous and absolutely untrainable. He never hurried anywhere, and his daily amusements mostly consisted of torturing others. Helena initially watched in disbelief as Brad seamlessly blended bullying and torture into his workday. A perfect example, one of many, was Brad's patented "stroll and shove."

One day, Helena's entire team of approximately fifty reports was walking from one training facility to another. Brad and his fiancé' Jenna Wellington, who were always together, casually strolled along. Then suddenly Brad sidled up next to Ian Jones, a Werebear who, despite his size when shifted, was incredibly shy and nonviolent. In one smooth movement that was so fast it would have been undetectable if Helena hadn't been walking right behind him and watching the entire time, Brad pushed out his right hand and shoved Ian down a flight of stairs.

Brad and Jenna continued talking about god knows what without ever acknowledging what Brad had just done to poor Ian. The shove didn't even warrant a pause for glee or laughter. It was just something Brad did, like breathing. Thankfully, Ian was a Were and he wasn't physically hurt by the abrupt fall down a flights of stairs. Only his pride was hurt. On a daily basis, Brad did some variant of the "stroll and shove" to any team member in close proximity to him. Eventually everyone gave Brad a wide berth to avoid being his next victim.

When the "stroll and shove" ceased being an easily achievable source of entertainment, Brad turned to focused antagonism. One of his favorite targets was a Weregrizzly named Fitzgerald Anderson. Gerald, as he preferred to be called, was extremely smart and also very aggressive. The grizzly didn't at all like Brad's bullying of his Werebear friend Ian, and decided to take on Brad in Ian's defense.

Brad Baxter was smart enough to see that he couldn't beat Gerald in a fair fight, so he avoided fighting him and instead incited Gerald to come after _him_. Brad's method's of incitement knew no bounds, and included calling the Weregrizzly "Jerry," which Gerald hated or "Smoky," which Gerald hated even more.

Brad also played tricks on Gerald, which could never be directly pinned to Brad. One day, Gerald returned from lunch to find his desk on fire. Important files were burned. Brad sauntered over, practically reeking of lighter fluid, and joked, "Hey Smoky, I thought you were supposed to be a fire prevention expert. What did you do to your fucking desk?"

This taunt sent Gerald over the edge, and he punched Brad. Helena didn't have evidence that Brad had started the fire on Gerald's desk, but unfortunately she saw Gerald punch Brad. So she had no choice but to mark him up for an infraction.

Brad succeeded in goading Gerald into hitting him several more times, to the point where Helena called Gerald into her office for a private meeting. Helena implored Gerald to ignore Brad before he lost his career. Gerald was a smart, well-mannered employee under normal circumstances, but Brad Baxter wasn't normal in any sense of the word.

Gerald eventually calmed down and stopped letting Brad get to him so much, but not before he saw his chance for flight school delayed by a year. Flight school was an honor reserved for star recruits; and although she knew Gerald deserved it, Helena couldn't give Gerald a coveted slot because of all the infractions on his record. To add insult to injury, Brad eventually shaped up and had just won a flight school slot. Helena was afraid this was going to send the Weregrizzly over the edge, and she braced herself on a daily basis for the backlash.

Brad had many other loathsome qualities, including flicking his shoulder-length blonde hair in the faces of the shier female reports and asking them if they liked his mane. This question was usually accompanied by a lewd follow up, typically having to do with the "mane between his legs" or some other reference to his genitalia. Jenna Wellington, of course, sat in the distance laughing her ass off at this behavior. Helena had to give Brad the sexual harassment talk on a weekly basis, always to no avail.

Helena hated Brad's insolence and flaunting of military rules. He shifted every day during lunch and lounged on the bleachers of the Sonoran field test range, which was strictly prohibited. He refused to wear his military issue white dress shirt, opting instead for custom made off-white shirts with extra long cuffs monogrammed with the letters _bHb_. This was Brad's ode to his Helmsley family name, which was relinquished following the merger of the Helmsley lion pride into the Baxter lion pride.

The merger was a sensitive subject apparently, since it was forced upon the Helmsleys when their Werelioness Queen, Leona, ran into tax trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. The Queen of the Helmsley lion pride was a fierce Werelioness, whose leonine name and strong leonine facial features (even when she wasn't shifted) exuded the very power that made the Helmsley family a name that was once feared and revered in the real estate and hotel world of Manhattan.

Helena particularly detested Brad Baxter's lying. Brad wasn't just a liar. He was a pathological liar. Brad lied like humans breathed. He didn't need a reason or a motive to lie. He lied for recreation or out of boredom or because he could. He lied in a way that Helena had never before seen in her life.

For one week, Brad Baxter amused himself by insisting to everyone that his real name was Sean Hannity. He clung to this lie so convincingly that several employees Helena had never met before came to her work area to meet Sean Hannity, the media celebrity who for some reason was working at the Sonoran Army base.

The United States military had a significant percentage of die-hard conservative Republicans who loved Fox News and Sean Hannity, so the idea that for whatever reason (perhaps an undercover mission, for his country and not the new Administration, of course) the show host might be secretly working at the Sonoran, Arizona base drove certain staff into a groupie level frenzy. When Helena pointed out that Brad Baxter was blonde and Sean Hannity was not, this simple statement of fact seemed incomprehensible to otherwise smart people. Perhaps Sean had changed his hair color to be more discreet while on his secret government mission.

Two separate people from the VA Program Human Resources department called Helena to personally schedule orientation and issue new employee badges for Sean Hannity, and also to request autographs for their family members. Helena really lost it when several people she didn't even know held court in her office and accused her of being an "undercover commie liberal" who just wanted to keep Sean all to herself.

Brad Baxter would stare Helena dead in the eye, unflinching, like the fucking psychopath that he was, and tell her it was midnight outside when the noon sun was shining brightly. Brad Baxter caused the phrases "lion ass" and "lying ass" to become virtually interchangeable in Helena's mind. The alpha wolf's personal experience told her that all cats lied, and further told her that all cats prided themselves on that ability.

But there were two things she absolutely hated the most about cats, especially Brad Baxter. The second most hated thing was what she called the _cat smirk. _It was a tiny curve of the lips that conveyed so much disdain. That slight gesture said _I just fucked you. You know I just fucked you. I know that you know I just fucked you. Moreover, you know, that I know, that you know I just fucked you. And that knowledge, makes me fucking happy. So fuck you._

And at the top of Helena's list of things she hated about cats was, of course, cat piss.

Helena would tell Brad Baxter not to do shit, and then Brad Baxter would turn right around and do that very shit. Helena was 100% without a shadow of a doubt positive that Brad Baxter had done that shit; yet he would stare her straight in the eyes and casually deny even knowing what shit she was talking about. One time, because he drove her so fucking crazy, she videotaped him doing that shit. When Brad, yet again, denied doing that shit, she showed him the video of himself doing that shit.

Helena didn't know what she expected to happen as Brad's arrogant lion ass stared at himself on screen doing that shit, but it wasn't what she got. Brad Baxter unflinchingly took in his guilty acts until the screen turned blank, then gracefully turned around and said with that fucking cat smirk, "Well there you have it. Whatever." The little lion fuck was purring as he walked out the door. It took all of Helena's inner stamina not to fly across the room and choke the shit out of him.

Helena had tried every punishment she could think of, and none of it deterred Brad from doing his shit. It didn't help that Brad was a fucking billionaire and didn't really give a shit about the job. Helena was so frustrated about Brad's behavior that one evening she complained about work to her family over dinner, which she generally avoided doing.

Afrida had responded, as if she knew everything there was to know about cats, "Helena, you can't punish cats. They don't respond to punishment. I have several cats on my team, and they're just fine. Actually, they're great. You just have to praise them."

Helena was incredulous as she asked, "Praise Brad for fucking up and lying to me all the time? Please."

Afrida rolled her eyes and said, "No. Give him an opportunity to do something for which you can _honestly _praise him, even if you have to stretch the truth a bit. Then praise him more and more. I guarantee you'll see improvement. Isn't there one thing you can tell Brad that's good about himself? Is he smart?"

Helena affirmed begrudgingly, "Extremely smart, but …"

Afrida cut her off. "No. Stop. Give the compliment and let it stand. And don't say _but. But _after a compliment basically undoes the compliment. Just praise him for being smart. Start there and build on it."

Helena took Afrida's advice, and to her surprise it worked. Helena didn't know how she discovered it, but something (perhaps abject frustration and reaching her wit's end) possessed her to give Brad the one compliment that worked above all others.

Brad had just done a day's worth of shit that annoyed Helena and tortured several members of her staff. He topped it all off by asking Helena, as he did often, whether she liked his hair. Helena replied that she loved Brad's hair. It was indeed a very impressive mane of silky blondeness, but she was woefully disappointed in Brad because his behavior wasn't living up to the beauty of his hair.

To Helena's astonishment, Brad looked hurt and wounded. Helena had tried every punishment short of water torturing Brad, and the one thing that seemed to genuinely move him was the thought that he wasn't living up to the glory of his mane. Helena wasn't about to look an unexpected gift horse in the mouth. From that moment on, all her praises and constructive criticism was voiced in terms of whether a particular behavior gave glory to Brad's mane or diminished the luster of his golden tresses. Helena couldn't say Brad became a model citizen, but he straightened up a lot and he quit doing most of the shit she told him not to do. She gave him good reviews, and he was happy. Or as happy as a perpetually bored, young, extremely attractive, billionaire Werelion could be at a job he didn't want or need.

Rachel Sullivan wasn't taking Helena's word for it. She wanted to hear the words from Brad Baxter himself. Helena worried only slightly about Brad's performance. He was going to be the most difficult of the three interviews, and Helena was glad to be getting him out of the way first.

Brad might have been tempted to do some mischievous shit if left to his own devices, but his fiancé Jenna Wellington owned him. For reasons Helena would later contemplate, Jenna was very interested in making sure Helena passed Rachel Sullivan's lie detector test with rave reviews. Helena casually conducted a search of Brad's thoughts as he was hooked up to the lie detector machine. She saw that Jenna had threatened Brad, telling him to keep his answers short, sweet and straight to the point.

Helena saw some of the images of Jenna's previously inflicted tortures, which seemed fresh enough in Brad's mind to keep him in line. The slouching blonde Werelion responded to Sullivan's questions about his experience working for Helena with a simple summation. "Look, it's really simple. I like my job a lot, and my boss here is great. She's letting me shoot weapons and fly aircraft, so what's not to like."

Sullivan wasn't satisfied with Brad's succinct answer. She wanted to keep him in the hot seat. The HR Director knew Helena, or more specifically Helena's cat employees, would probably pass her test, but Sullivan at least wanted to make General Wolfe squirm a little bit. She urged Brad to give her something. She asked, "Are you sure there are no problems you'd like to raise with me while you have the chance? You don't need to be afraid of Ms. Wolfe. You will be protected."

Helena read Brad's thoughts as he sat in the hot seat. Oh, he definitely had problems with her. Brad thought Helena had a huge stick up her ass and sometimes unfairly targeted him for discipline over jokes that other staff played with no repercussions. This could potentially be seen as discriminatory if Brad were to raise the issue.

Helena braced herself, but then heard Brad casually say, "Look, I don't have any problems whatsoever with General Helena. I love my job and General Wolfe is the greatest manager I've ever had. Speaking of which, I'm gonna be late for my flight class. Is that all?"

Sullivan tried one more time. "Well, Brad. I'm just making sure. Some people have mentioned that maybe you feel General Helena has unfairly targeted you for discipline. Maybe she has been … coercive. So I need to make sure you feel comfortable."

Helena's heart raced. She could see Brad thoughts. He was saying _fuck it_ in his mind, and Helena had no idea what that meant. Brad leaned forward and said, "Look, alright. If you want to know who I'm afraid of … it's that bitchass grizzly Jerry Smoky the Bear Anderson. I'm a man, so I don't like admitting this, but that Weregrizzly is a crazy fuck and he scared the shit out of me."

Sullivan seemed confused. Brad's statements seemed to be hitting her out of left field. She cautiously asked, "Are your referring to Fitzgerald Anderson?"

Brad scowled, "Damn fucking right, I'm talking about Smoky the Bear Anderson. He's a fucking pathological lying psycho twisted fucktard. I'll bet money he's the one who told you I said some shit about General Helena, which I didn't and never would."

Rachel Sullivan tried to put on her best poker face, but Helena could have told her she couldn't "out do" a psychopathic liar like Brad Baxter in a lying contest. But since Brad's lies were benefitting her at the moment, Helena crossed her legs and enjoyed the show. She had never realized what an art form Brad Baxter's lying was until she watched him perform against Rachel Sullivan. Sullivan was so out of her league, and the sad part was that she didn't even know it.

Brad continued, "Yeah, I see it on your face. It was that psycho grizzly fuck, alright. Since you cozied up to him and wrote down all his fucking lies about me and General Helena, did you bother to look in his file? Huh? Because if you did, you would see that the crazy grizzly fuck has a rap sheet of infractions a mile long. Most of them are about some sadistic torturous shit he's done to me. He's been fucking jealous of my good looks, intelligence, work ethic and hair since day one. General Helena wrote him up. She had to because the grizzly fuck's behavior was so public that either she saw it or there were a ton of other witnesses. Did you look in his file?"

Rachel Sullivan stammered, "Uhm, n-no, I didn't."

Brad Baxter leaned back and gave Sullivan the cat smirk. "So let me get this straight. You're sitting in here, taking up space at General Helena's desk when we're all busy as fuck, hooking me up to this fucktard machine. These fucking electrodes are messing up my hair, by the way. So there's that shit to add to everything. You're giving us the fifth degree based on some demented fucktard grizzly psycho and you didn't even bother to do something as simple as check his file beforehand?"

Brad Baxter had managed to achieve the impossible. He had temporarily silenced Rachel Sullivan. She tried to recover from the unexpected onslaught. "Hmm. I think we've covered enough, Brad. You're free to go."

Helena was about to breathe a sigh of relief, then to her dismay, Brad countered with, "I don't fucking think so. You asked me a question about my fears for my safety. I just told you who I was afraid of and now you just want to end this shit?"

Rachel Sullivan was visibly pissed at this point. She retorted, "I think that's enough Mr. Baxter, you're free to-".

Brad interrupted, "Free to go, huh? Well, not so fast. I remember my new hire orientation, and one of the things we were told is that we have a right in this administration of hope and change to verbally report any threats or discriminatory actions to any officer, especially an officer of the Human Resources department. And you're the Director of that department and I'm sitting here in front of you, and I'm officially filing a verbal report against Fitzgerald Jerry Smoky the grizzly fuck Anderson."

Rachel Sullivan pursed her lips and listened. She knew the rules required her to take all reports of discriminatory or potentially discriminatory behavior seriously.

Brad was on a roll as he said, "Anderson has threatened me on numerous occasions, and he has physically assaulted me several times. During each of the physical assaults and during several of the verbal assaults he made derogatory comments about my hair, my protected status of being a Werelion and my species – cat. He's also been recently escalating his threats against me, ever since I made flight school and he didn't. I want you to investigate and punish him, or I will sue the fuck off your asses."

Rachel Sullivan tersely assured, "I will personally investigate this, Mr. Baxter."

Brad purred, "Hmm hmm. And I also want it on record that I think Smoky is unhinged and a step away from losing his psychopathic mind. We work in a government facility where all sorts of weapons are readily available. So don't act all surprised when he shoots up the place. And if you try to pretend like you didn't see this shit coming, I will personally, assuming I live which is doubtful since I'll be the main target of the mass shooting, go on the Sean Hannity show and tell everyone how I reported this crazy ass gunman to your administration and nobody did anything about it."

Sullivan sighed and said, "I assure you I will take everything you said seriously, Mr. Baxter. If you have nothing else, please ask Ms. Jenna Wellington to come in."

Brad scoffed as Rachel Sullivan removed the electrodes. He glared at her as she ran her crusty fingers through his hair. He stood and flicked his hair with one vigorous shake, as if removing whatever crud Sullivan had left in his golden tresses. He glanced down at Helena with his cat smirk as he sauntered to the door.

Helena watched as Sullivan casually made notes based on the reading of the lie detector machine. To Helena's amazement, Sullivan glanced up and said, "So far, so good, General Helena. One down and two to go."

Helena was awestruck and fascinated at the same time. She had been reading Brad's thoughts, and there was some shit she just knew without reading his thoughts. She had just witnessed Brad tell too many bare faced lies to count, and he had just passed Sullivan supposedly infallible lie detector test with flying colors.

Brad exited Helena's office and called his fiancé. "JAW. You're up. But be warned. This whole interview shit is fucktarded and nothing but pure bitchassness."

**_HR Director Sullivan's Second Interviewee – Jenna Wellington_**

Jeanine Angela Wellington, 44th (aka Jenna Wellington, nickname "JAW"), all 5'9" inches of her, strolled into the room. The sultry lioness crossed her long legs and cat smirked at Helena. While Helena detested Brad Baxter for his oh so many psychopathic behaviors, Jenna was another matter entirely and occupied her own special category.

Helena disliked having Jenna on her staff, but for different reasons. Jenna was utterly brilliant, as all three cats were. Helena had to give them that. Jenna did even the most complex homework easily. She knew all the answers in aeronautics class, and was an extremely efficient and creative employee. She showed up on time to all meetings, and was reasonably obedient. She generally dressed according to military protocol, although she loved skirts that were just a bit too short, especially when she sat down and crossed her legs, as she was doing at the moment.

Jenna also was extremely attractive, tall, with blonde hair and light-green cat eyes. She looked almost like Kara Wellington's twin sister, except she had blonde hair, like her father Assad. Kara was a brunette, like her mother, Arielle. Jenna was slender but curvy, and endlessly flirtatious. Her fiancé Brad Baxter was perpetually jealous, which led to all kinds of drama on Helena's team, including a fight between Brad and a human pilot that fortunately, Helena was around to break up before the human got seriously hurt.

As Arielle had promised, Jenna was extremely hard working and finished even the most difficult things she was tasked with way ahead of schedule. This often meant that Jenna was constantly bored, which led her to occupy her time with all sorts of mischief. Some of it was annoying, but other things were downright cruel, like what she did to David Burke. David Burke was a Were-eagle who had the misfortune of being afraid of heights. Jenna, like most cats, loves heights. The blonde lioness waited for David one day as he came out of the bathroom. She lifted him up onto the rafters that were suspended more than thirty feet above their open work area.

Helena walked into the open area to find David screaming for dear life, while Jenna stood down below intoning him to fly and be free. Helena grabbed Jenna by the arm and asked her what the fuck she was doing. Jenna innocently responded, with that cat smirk that Helena detested, that she was simply trying to help "DB" (the nickname she unilaterally gave David that she knew he hated) get over his fear so that he could realize his true eagle self. Helena lost one of her best employees for almost a week because David needed extended sick leave to recover from the incident.

Jenna was in some ways a worse entity than Brad Baxter. Whereas Brad loved simplistic tortures like pushing, shoving and instigating fights, Jenna loved psychological tortures. Her torture of David the Were-eagle was one example. Another was her routine torture of the more introverted women on Helena's team, the same ones that Brad Baxter harassed with inappropriate questions about his mane and private parts. Helena was pretty sure that Jenna instigated Brad to harass the women, but she could never prove it.

Praise did nothing to tamp down Jenna's mischievous behavior. Helena, desperate to understand the irascible blonde Werelioness, read Jenna's thoughts. She was shocked to find that Jenna deliberately did most of the shit she did because she wanted to get a rise out of Helena. Jenna had a crush on Helena, although the word _crush_ was too innocent a word to describe the graphic sexual images and scenarios involving Helena that constantly occupied Jenna's mind. Jenna got both amusement and arousal out of Helena screaming at her. A grab of Jenna's arm by Helena sent the sultry blond lioness into an inner frenzy. She liked getting attention from Helena, and didn't care at all that it was mostly negative.

Helena had to shut down her roaming mind when teaching a class that had Jenna as a student. In astrophysics class, Helena would point to a calculus equation on the board with her wooden pointer, and catch a glimpse in Jenna's mind of herself beating Jenna's ass with that same stick. Helena leaned forward over her desk to read from her text, and she would catch an image of Jenna imagining herself splayed nude across the desk with Helena eating her out. The image aroused Helena, despite her best efforts to ignore it.

Helena abruptly stood up and glared at Jenna. Jenna's light-green cat eyes were waiting to meet Helena's emerald green gaze, as the sexy lioness crossed her legs and smirked. The lioness had obviously felt Helena in her mind, and took great pleasure out of Helena knowing her sordid thoughts about her. Helena could think of no other way to deal with Jenna except to give her stellar reviews and avoid being close to her at all costs.

Jenna sat straight up as Rachel Sullivan finished attaching the lie detector electrodes to her arms and forehead. The HR Director asked, "How has your work experience been with General Helena?"

Jenna casually replied, "It's been wonderful, easily the best, most interesting job I've ever had."

Helena, again, was dumbstruck. She knew for a fact that the job perpetually bored Jenna, and there were a million other things she would rather be doing, top on Jenna's list being fucking Helena all day, every day. Jenna was only working at the Sonoran Army base because Arielle Wellington had told her she was going to be there.

Helena was fascinated with Jenna's and other cats' ability to lie so convincingly. To Helena's wolfen sensibilities, the constant lying about any and everything was downright psychopathic and she didn't understand it. Helena also didn't understand mechanically how it was possible to lie well enough to fool a lie detector test. Helena imagined that, if necessary, she could learn how to do it. But Brad and Jenna seemed to do it naturally, effortlessly. Lying seemed to be a part of their genetic makeup.

Helena's unexpected experience with Quinn from this morning was jolting and fresh in her mind. Now that her son was becoming a man, and this transition into manhood was going to involve him also becoming a tiger, Helena felt an increased sense of urgency to understand cats. She needed to know why and how they did what they did. She was extremely concerned about the lying. How could she know who her son truly was if she couldn't believe a word that came out of his mouth?

Helena would normally have stayed far far away from the inner workings of Jenna's dirty little mind. But she was driven by a need to understand what was going on with her son, and she knew Jenna would gladly talk to her about anything she wanted to know. The alpha wolf entered Jenna's head, against her better judgment, to witness the process of cat lying firsthand and find out anything else she could about cats.

_Helena found herself in a room inside Jenna's mind. It looked like a dungeon with black padding all over the walls and floor. Fantasy Jenna saw fantasy Helena standing there in her Army issue green uniform and sauntered over to her. Fantasy Jenna stood before fantasy Helena, and casually removed her Army uniform, until she was standing in nothing except a black lacy bra and matching bikini underwear._

_Jenna asked, "I'm surprised to see you, but not complaining. Do you like what you see? My goal was to be revealing enough to turn you on, but modest enough so that you don't think I'm a slut. Well, I am. But I'm not. Why are you in here, anyway? I thought you were afraid to be caught alone with me and my dirty little thoughts."_

_Helena replied, "I … the outfit is nice. I'm here to observe you."_

_Jenna frowned and looked a bit excited, "Observe me? What do you want to see. My ass? My tits? Both?"_

_Helena shook her head and looked at the padded wall in Jenna's mind, averting her eyes from fantasy Jenna's smoking hot body. "I'm here to see how you lie to Ms. Sullivan."_

_Fantasy Jenna put a hand on her hip and pouted. She was puzzled as she asked, "Why would something so boring interest you?"_

_Jenna thought for a moment, then smiled, remembering. "Ohhh, that's right. Because of Quinn. He's finally realizing his true self, and so you want to know about cats because your son is shifting into a tiger."_

_Helena frowned and asked, "How do you know that?"_

_Jenna replied, "Because Kara saw Quinn this morning and he was, shall we say … different. Kara thinks he's going to shift really soon. I bet he's going to be so big and sexy and-"_

_But Rachel Sullivan was interrupting. Jenna exclaimed, "Oh just fuck, already. Can someone please give this bitch twenty stokes so she can quit being such a bitchass?"_

Sullivan followed up with, "Is there anything you would change about General Helena's management style?

Jenna sweetly replied, "No, Ms. Sullivan. General Helena is puuurrrfect just the way she is. I love everything about the way she handles me."

_To illustrate the point, fantasy Jenna took fantasy Helena's hands and brought them to her breasts. Helena's eyes widened and she tried to remove her hands, but Jenna held them in place. She purred, "Nuh uh. You came into my head, remember? I get to do what I want."_

Sullivan asked, "What do you like most about General Helena's management style, Jenna?"

Jenna, pretended to think about it, then said, "I love the fact that she's so hands on when she trains us. She really gives me lots of personal attention."

_Fantasy Jenna stared intently into fantasy Helena's eyes as she squeezed Helena's hands and moved them in circles over her breasts._

Jenna continued, "But General Helena also allows us to try things on our own. First she shows us how to do things. Then she trusts us to do things ourselves.

_Before fantasy Helena could stop fantasy Jenna, the touchy lioness had unbuttoned her jacket and shirt and reached inside to fondle her breasts. Fantasy Helena gasped and tried to push fantasy Jenna's hands away._

Rachel Sullivan changed topics. "I hate to go here, Jenna. But this is worrisome enough that I have to ask the question. There's a rumor that you have some kind of … attraction to General Wolfe. You supposedly talk about it to anyone who will listen, and you have stated that you intend to fuck your way to a promotion. Is that true?"

_Hearing this gave fantasy Helena the strength to shove fantasy Jenna's hands away. Helena glared and Jenna exclaimed, "What?! Don't be like that. It's just a thing I do, and nobody fucking believes me anyway. That's the whole point. I do it so that if we ever fuck, which I hope we do, no one will believe that we did because it's just my schoolgirl fantasy that I've been telling everyone who will listen for like forever. People can't see the forest for the trees. I'm just planting trees."_

Jenna stared Rachel Sullivan dead in the eye and said, "That's the most ridiculous shit I've ever heard."

_At the same time Jenna was saying this to Rachel Sullivan, she was pushing her breasts into Helena's chest and trying to reestablish seductive eye contact. Fantasy Jenna reassured, "See, look at the machine. It's fine. Sullivan sees I'm telling the truth."_

_Helena interjected, "But you're not. You're lying."_

_Jenna retorted, "No. I'm not."_

_Helena glared in abject disbelief, as Jenna grinded against her. Fantasy Jenna abruptly swept a hand over Helena's crotch and pressed an expert finger into her clit. Fantasy Helena's fangs clicked._

In the real world of Helena's office, the alpha wolf's eyes widened in surprise as she growled deep in her throat. Jenna Wellington cat smirked and stifled a laugh. Rachel Sullivan frowned at Helena and pointedly asked, "Are you alright, General Wolfe? Did you just growl? Are you trying to intimidate Ms. Wellington as she answers these questions?" Sullivan quickly checked her lie detector results for evidence.

Helena quickly said, "No, Ms. Sullivan. I didn't get much sleep last night because I worked very late. I sometimes … growl, when I'm tired. Sorry."

_Fantasy Jenna was laughing her ass off. She chortled, "Oh, you hate lying alright. That shit was good."_

Real world Jenna was getting indignant as she said, "Ms. Sullivan, with all due respect ..."

_Fantasy Jenna: "Well, not really. I hate this stupid bitch. But this is for you, my love."_

" … I am not afraid of anyone, especially General Helena. I didn't say anything about fucking my way into any goddamn promotion. And my guess is this bullshit was told to you by some ugly jealous fucked up bitches or some dweeb idiot like that Jerry Smoky the Bear Grizzly fuck. Did you know he wanted to fuck me and got turned down cold? Shit like this happens to me a lot."

Rachel Sullivan was again caught off guard. She also didn't like returning to the topic of Smoky the Bear Fitzgerald Anderson. She cautiously asked, "So you're saying to me that you don't have a sexual or romantic attraction to General Wolfe?"

Without missing a beat, Jenna responded with, "I am saying that my interest in General Helena is _totally _platonic."

_Meanwhile, fantasy Jenna was licking and whispering into fantasy Helena's ear, "I know what you did with my mother and my aunts. They still dream about it over cocktails. So please, why can't you just fuck me. If you do, I promise I won't tell anyone. You can totally trust me."_

_Fantasy Helena replied, "Hmm. Mmm. I can totally trust you. Like your interest in me is totally platonic?"_

_Fantasy Jenna replied, "No, not totally as in essentially. In this case I mean totally as in completely and absolutely._

_Fantasy Helena shot fantasy Jenna down. "I will not fuck you. First, that would be a violation and constitute sexual harassment. I would lose my career. Second, how can I trust you when everything you've said since sitting in that chair has been a lie?"_

_Jenna smiled and said, "I notice you didn't say you wouldn't fuck me because you're not attracted to me. Because you are attracted to me, aren't you? This is progress. Now we're getting somewhere."_

_Fantasy Jenna smiled and purred, while fantasy Helena rolled her eyes. But fantasy Helena was also working hard to keep from growling again._

Jenna continued, "Ms. Sullivan, are you aware that I have a fiancé. His name is Brad Baxter and he's a hot, fucking wealthy ass lion."

_Helena saw an image of Brad Baxter suddenly appear in a corner of Jenna's mind. He was in his boxers, tied to a chair with duct tape over his mouth. Fantasy Jenna purred into Helena's ear as she caressed her chest, "I just tied him up because Brad gets a little jealous sometimes. I want him to watch us, but I also want him to behave himself."_

Jenna's voice escalated now as she thought of the hideousness that Rachel Sullivan was accusing her of saying. She exclaimed, "People always try to label strong beautiful women as whores. That shit is totally fucked up. Or they label us as lesbians. Not that there's anything wrong with that. In this case you seem to be labeling me a lesbian whore, which is just fucking great. But seriously, I don't need to sleep my way into a promotion. Have you seen my test results? They're independently scored, by the way."

Sullivan replied, "Yes, I've seen your test scores. They're very impressive."

Jenna interrupted, "Then you know that I am extremely brilliant in my own right, so why would I need to fuck my boss to get anywhere? I'm also a fucking billionaire, so I don't need this fucking job or a promotion."

Sullivan was taken aback by Jenna's sudden hostility. Jenna suddenly had a thought, which made her even more livid. She asked in a louder than normal tone, "Wait a minute. Are you suggesting that I'm stupid because I'm blonde. The workplace fairness rules prohibit discrimination based on physical appearance. Didn't you mention earlier that you brought some complaint forms. Maybe I should take one right now to deal with you and your shit."

Having just taken a verbal complaint from Brad Baxter about the Weregrizzly Fitzgerald Anderson, Rachel Sullivan was in no mood to receive a _written _complaint about herself from Jenna Wellington. She knew and had heard enough about the Wellingtons that she didn't want to cross one of them.

Sullivan said meekly and apologetically, "I'm sorry, Jenna. I don't think that will be necessary. I'm not saying anything about your intelligence except the truth, which is that you are provably brilliant. I'm sorry if I offended you. It was my job to ask that question because of what others had said."

Jenna made a show of calming down, much to Rachel Sullivan's visible relief. She mused, "Well, fine. No harm, I guess. But maybe you should go back and check on some of these people who lied to you about me and Brad. When you're wealthy and beautiful with gorgeous hair, people hate you just for being you.

As Rachel Sullivan took an extended moment to flip through her papers, Jenna returned to something more interesting.

_Fantasy Jenna:_ _"So look, I want you and you want me. Fuck me. You don't have to be worried about me crossing you. You own my fucking pride, so you know that me crossing you would be the same as me crossing Arielle. You also know that if I crossed you Arielle would personally skin me alive. Just get the permissions from your spouses and make my dreams come true."_

_Fantasy Jenna regarded Rachel Sullivan as she poured over the results of her lie detector tests. She then said, "What's wrong with this stupid bitch? Doesn't she know you can't give a cat a lie detector test? Anyway, back to us…"_

_Fantasy Helena: "I'm more interested at the moment in how you lied. How did you beat the machine?"_

_Fantasy Jenna: I didn't "beat" the machine. I didn't lie._

_Fantasy Helena: "Yes, you did. You told Sullivan that your interest in me was solely platonic."_

_Fantasy Jenna: "Careful. I actually said my interest in you is totally platonic. You're the one who made the assumption that the word "totally" meant the same thing as "solely." Maybe for you it did but for me it didn't. The word "totally" has at least sixteen different meanings, including "extensively" and "effectively." So in essence, I said that I feel extensively for you like a friend or that you are effectively my friend, but I didn't say that's the only feeling I have toward you or all we would ever be."_

_Fantasy Helena: That's just a creative technical truth, which is the same as a lie."_

_Fantasy Jenna: "No, it isn't. It's not my responsibility to help you or Rachel Sullivan speak the English language. It's not my fault that Rachel Sullivan is a C.U.N.T."_

_Fantasy Helena: What?_

_Fantasy Jenna: "You know, a C.U.N.T. Cant Understand Normal Talk."_

_Helena looked confused and disapproving._

_Jenna: I'm not insulting her femaleness. Rachel Sullivan is also a D.I.C.K._

_Helena: What?_

_Jenna: D.I.C.K. Decidedly Incapable of Commanding Knowledge. This is why I am not lying despite the fact that this HR bitch has no clue what I am talking about._

_Helena: How can you not be lying?_

_Jenna: I'm not lying because I am giving a truthful answer using a particular and quite accurate meaning of a set of words. Do you know how many words there are in the English language? And how many different meanings there are for a single word? Yet most people, humans or Weres or whatever, only know a relatively small number of words and only the first or second definition of those words. Furthermore, most people, at least in this country, don't speak more than one language and barely more than one dialect. They also don't travel very much, so they don't appreciate the cultural differences that may affect the meanings of words. _

_I know you think Brad flaunts the rules with his monogrammed cuffs, but he's not violating any rules. He went to the HR Department and showed them how their own rules actually mandate that he wear extra long, monogrammed cuffs._

_Helena: That's bullshit._

_Jenna: Yes, but it's not Brad's fault if the HR Department is so stupid it doesn't know its own rules. Anyway, rules are for fucktards who don't read, don't learn languages and don't fucking travel anywhere._

_I was reading treatises and knew several languages when I was a cub. All lions are well read, highly intelligent, cultural and well-traveled. Language is a weapon if you know how to use it. The pen is mightier than the sword. Do you know who said that? Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. He's a famous English novelist and politician. His son Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton was a Governor of India. They were both Weretigers, by the way._

_So you see, truthfulness is a function of word choice and word meaning._

_Helena: I think I get what you're saying. If you say something is "cool" meaning that it is trendy or neat, but the only meaning of the word "cool" that I know relates to temperature, we can both be using the same word and having two totally different conversations. This difference in meaning isn't a lie._

_Jenna: Exactly. Similarly, part of my family originates from the Ancient Near East – Egypt. I also have family members in East Asia. These cultures use the word "stillness" and "movement" to apply to mental functions and abilities in a way that Western societies don't. Now suppose you tell me, "Jenna, be still" because you are uncomfortable with me unfastening your belt, as I'm doing right now. Try it._

_Helena: Jenna, be still._

_Jenna: Hmm, but I'm still unfastening your belt. I got around your command quite legitimately, by focusing on stilling my mind, a perfectly Eastern way of thinking that allows me to obey your command while continuing to unfasten your belt. Hmm, I see you are a natural brunette. Would you like to check to see if I am a natural blonde?_

_Helena: No, and stop it._

_Jenna: Nooo. What am I supposed to do with my hands?_

_Helena: Keep them to yourself._

_Jenna: So Quinn lied to you, huh? And you're freaked out? It's nothing to worry about. He probably didn't lie. Isn't he part android? This means he has a large vocabulary and knows lots of languages. Trouble for you. Just a little, but it's nothing, really._

_Helena: Why do you say it's nothing?_

_Jenna: Because it's a skill that cats, especially big solitary cats like tigers, need to learn._

_Helena: Why?_

_Jenna: Big cats depend on a certain amount of duplicity to survive. When lionesses hunt, we crouch in the brush. We're essentially presenting ourselves as something we're not. We're deliberately confusing our prey. If our prey isn't confused about what we are or where we're coming from, we don't eat._

_And it's the same in the business world. I know we're Werelions and we live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and we run businesses. But it's no different than being in a jungle or on the Serengeti. Do you know who we lions compete against in the world of international business? Primarily Weresharks and Weregrizzlies, both extremely large predators. Do you think a Werelion can take on either of those predators in straight up combat? Hell no._

_My Dad will fight if he has to do it, but he prefers to be a pretty mane with a loud roar. He beats Weresharks and Weregrizzlies using artifice, not his fists. Now lionesses are different. They are BABs and they will bring a fight, but they'd much rather lounge around the pool and drink cocktails._

_Helena: I …see. But wait. BABs?_

_Jenna: Bad ass bitches. Lionesses are bad as bitches. And at least lionesses hunt in groups. The skill of duplicity is even more important for a solitary cat that hunts on its own, like Mr. Quinn Tiger. He only has himself to depend on._

_Helena: Quinn has me. He has his family._

_Jenna: He won't always have you, maybe he won't always have his family. So he needs to know how to hunt and protect his territory alone. Do you know why white tigers only exist in zoos and not in the wild? Because they can't hide themselves or where they are. Their prey see them for what they are._

_Helena was silent, disturbed by this._

_Jenna: He's not doing it to hurt you, you know. Well, he is, but he isn't. He's just being a male cat._

_Jenna moved close to Helena and pressed her nose to Helena's nose._

_Helena: What are you doing?_

_Jenna: You told me to keep my hands to myself, so I-"_

_Helena: No, what does that gesture, pressing your nose to mine … what does it mean?_

_Jenna: Oh, it means I like you, a lot. And I trust you, a lot. A cat is very vulnerable being that close to another predator. I wouldn't do that if I thought you would hurt me. I don't think you would hurt me, well not in a way I wouldn't like … so I did it. Why?_

_Helena: Quinn did that to me … this morning._

_Jenna: Well, duh. You're his Mom. He loves you. A cat, particularly a large male predator, like a tiger, would never place himself in such a vulnerable position with someone he didn't love and trust completely._

_Helena: He also … rubbed his face against mine._

_Jenna: Hmm, you mean like this?_

_Jenna rubbed her face against Helena's and sniffed her hair. Unlike when Quinn did it to her, Helena found the experience much more erotic when Jenna did it._

_Helena: Yes. What does that mean? He loves me?_

_Jenna: No, it means he owns you._

_Helena: What?_

_Jenna: He was marking you as part of his territory, so every other cat knows you are his property. It's a good thing. Being owned by a cat, especially by a big, powerful cat like a tiger, is a good thing._

_Helena: He … peed in the house._

_Jenna: Okay._

_Helena: Don't just say "Okay." Why did he do it?_

_Jenna: Cats mark their territories to show dominance. You should know that. You're a canine. He's an alpha, and so are you. So he was trying to communicate that part of the territory was his. He's saying he's a big boy cat now and you can't expect to just control everything in his living space. At least he wanted to share authority with you. Be glad he didn't try to assert primary dominance._

_Helena: How would he show that?_

_Jenna: He would have shat all over your floor instead of peeing. Exposed shit is a clear message that the shitter is the undisputed alpha. Quinn would be daring you to make him clean it up. You'd also probably have to shit on the floor yourself to convince him you were the boss. Otherwise the shit battle would continue._

_Helena looked horrified._

_Jenna: So how did the pee episode end?_

_Helena: I made him clean it up._

_Jenna: Hmm. Trouble for yoooouuuuu._

_Helena: What? Why?_

_Jenna: Because a cat going through puberty can't just let that shit go. Sorry for bringing up the word shit again. But Quinn's gotta do something to you to get his pride back. Haha. I love when I get to use the word "pride" in a sentence in reference to something other than lions._

_Helena: So during this process is Quinn going to be like … Brad?_

_Jenna: Haha. You wish. Brad is twenty-seven years old. He went through puberty over ten years ago. Brad's mature._

_Helena's eyes widened in disbelief at the idea that Brad was mature._

_Jenna: No, Quinn's going to be more like a teenage boy cat. Hmm, if you want to see what that looks like … some of my teenage boy cousins are in town for Kara's birthday. You could come over to our residence and … No, forget that. It wouldn't be good. They don't know you. You're a stranger. Plus you're a canine. It would be bad._

_Helena: Why?_

_Jenna: Because they'd do shit to you. Throw you in the swimming pool. Maybe try to drown you. Shove you down an open elevator shaft. Maybe drug you and try to mate with you. Some of my cousins are visiting from Kenya. They like blowing darts filled with all kinds of poisonous shit into crowds of people. Times Square is their favorite. They might do that to you. Or hang you out the window. We live on the 75__th__ floor, so that would be bad if they dropped you._

_Helena's horrified eyes widened more and more with each of Jenna's examples of teenage boy cat fun._

_Jenna: Don't worry. It will be fine. You're a canine and you don't understand cats, but you will. Look, Quinn may get pissed at you, literally and figuratively. But you're his Mom so he will have limits. He may do shit to get on your nerves. Or torture you. Maybe even dangle you over the roof of a tall building, but he won't drop you. Ok, maybe he would drop you, but only for a second and then he would catch you. So no harm done, really._

_Helena: Why would he do something like that?_

_Jenna: Why not? Hmm. You read my mind all the time, so I'm sure you read Kara's. So you know she has the hots for Quinn, right? She doesn't just want FB. She's 941._

_Helena: What?_

_Jenna: She doesn't want to just be fuck buddies with Quinn. She's got a serious heart case. She's in luuuuvvv._

_Helena: Yes, I know._

_Jenna: Then you know it's going to get bloody, right?_

_Helena: What do you mean?_

_Jenna: They're both alphas. Kara keeps thinking that Quinn's android self will reason with her but I think she's dreaming. She's in La La Land. There's going to be a fight for dominance if they want to be with each other, and it's going to be difficult._

_Helena: Why?_

_Jenna: Because Kara has been bred specifically to be the preeminent alpha, the undisputed leader of the Wellington family pride. She's been groomed to say what she wants and expect to instantly get it, and give serious repercussions to anyone who dares to refuse her. _

_Quinn is a large male tiger. Male tigers generally are alphas because they have to be to survive. They have to be able to singlehandedly control a large area of land by themselves just to eat and survive. Lionesses love tigers, but it's no accident that only beta lionesses pick them. There's no conflict. There are a few lion prides with family structures like ours, ruled by a dominant Werelioness instead of a Werelion. I know all of them. Not a single one of them has a queen who's with a tiger. It's not a model for success. But Kara seems hell bent on going for it._

_Helena: Well, maybe they can work it out. Someone can … compromise?_

_Jenna: Do you think Quinn will compromise and be a bottom?_

_Helena thought for a moment about her fight with Quinn earlier. She frowned._

_Jenna: The look on your face says, "No." So one of two things is going to happen. Either Quinn is going to rape Kara to force her to submit to him. Or he's going to be in the middle of attempting to rape Kara and she's going to tear his balls off, if he's lucky. She's a Wellington, so she may kill him._

_Helena looked visibly worried now._

_Jenna: Hey, I'm sorry. Don't worry. They'll work it out. It may get bloody, which will be fun to watch, really. But they'll figure it out if they want to be together. Just because something has never been done before doesn't mean it can't be done. Right? Hell, that's a Wellington family motto. Maybe Quinn can just dominate some other pussies and let Kara have top spot. That might work._

_Helena: What do you mean "dominate other pussies"?_

_Jenna: Oh, other female cats. How will you feel about Quinn fucking multiple women in your apartment? If that's going to be an issue, then he's going to have to get his own place. I'm sorry. You look sad. You're a wolf. You're monogamous. Cats aren't monogamous. They're at best, preferential. And that doesn't usually apply to a young male cat. They fuck anything that's got a pussy. It doesn't even have to move, really. Have you ever seen nature videos of lions fucking? The lioness is sometimes asleep. The male lion doesn't give a shit, as long as she's sleeping on her stomach._

_Helena looked overwhelmed._

_Helena: Is that what your father is like?_

_Jenna: Absolutely, although he's a sadist, which you already know. Haha. So he's not very interested in fucking anymore, unless it involves administering a lot of pain. But when he's not torturing things, he basically wants to be left alone. _

_My Dad has three simple rules. Follow them and nobody gets skinned. Number one, don't disturb his cat naps. Number two, don't let his cocktail run low. And number three, don't move his Wall Street Journal. Most of his kids don't see him that much, but Kara loves him. She always tops off his cocktails, so she sees him a lot because he drinks lots of cocktails. That's why it's nothing for her to bring Quinn his cocoa every morning just the way he likes it. She's been mixing perfect drinks for Dad for years._

_Helena: Is that all your Dad does? Sleep, drink cocktails and read the Wall Street Journal? You make male lions sound so lovely._

_Jenna: Careful. Don't talk about my Dad. Male lions are extremely important to a pride. It's just that people don't see the contribution they make. Lionesses do all the day-to-day work, so the image is like, why do they need men? But male lions do a few things that are majorly important. Life changing kind of important, and that's why they're so vital to the pride. It's just that they don't have to do these vitally important things very often, and so it looks like male lions like my Dad just sit around all day living off their women. My Dad's not a pimp, you know._

_Helena: Really? So what does he do that's so life changing and vital?_

_Jenna: Lots, but I'll give you just three of the most important things. My Dad earns lots of money, and he's so smart that he does it while he's sleeping. He's excellent at real estate, so we collect hundreds of millions of dollars every month in rents and he doesn't have to lift a finger. So not only can he lounge all day drinking cocktails, he's made it possible for his entire pride to do that._

_Helena: (sarcastically) Impressive._

_Jenna: Oh whatever. Tell me you wouldn't want to lounge around all day drinking cocktails if you could._

_Helena: I wouldn't, actually._

_Jenna: Oh, whatever. The only people who say that shit are people who can't do it. The second thing my Dad does is lick pussy. My Dad will fuck if my Mom and my aunts poke and prod him enough, but it's a lot of work. However, like most cats, he has a strong oral fixation, so he loves licking pussy. If you prop him up the right way and don't block his view of his Wall Street Journal, he'll lick the pussies of all my aunts and my Mom all day without a single complaint._

_Helena: Delightful, but lionesses can do that to each other._

_Jenna: True. I give you that, and they do. But the third and most important thing my Dad does is something only he can do. Defend the pride against the greatest threats._

_Helena: I thought you said lionesses are bad ass bitches who fight and male lions are basically a pretty mane and a roar._

_Jenna: Yes, and no. You don't listen. I actually said that my Dad doesn't like to fight. It messes up his hair. But he will fight if he needs to; and when he does, it's totally vicious and unprecedented._

_Helena: And what, pray tell, is this heart stopping threat that leaves bad ass bitch lionesses quaking in fear and in need of male protection?_

_Jenna: Hyenas. Lionesses have an almost pathological fear of hyenas. I don't know why, but we do. My aunts have even tried therapy to deal with it. Nothing works. Hyenas are scary, vicious and worst of all smelly. Hideously smelly. You just want to spray them with perfume, but then they just smell like sweet funk. Hyenas have a pathological hatred of lions. They stalk us. Many of the women are big dyke rapists. Did you know female hyenas have dicks? Did you know that?_

_Helena: No, I didn't._

_Jenna: They do. Big hairy dicks, and they love to rape lionesses. A lioness's worst nightmare is being raped by a smelly lesbian hyena with a big, hairy dick._

_Helena: I can see why that wouldn't be appealing._

_Jenna: Damn right. _

_Helena: So only male lions fight hyenas, and so a lioness always needs a male lion? So there are no lesbian relationships among lionesses?_

_Jenna: Uhm, my mother and all my aunts are mostly lesbians. I say mostly because they screw each other more than they screw my Dad. But if you mean exclusively lesbian, then no. I've seen it once or twice. It's rare because in order for it to happen somebody has to be willing to kill the hyena. And like I said, lionesses go batshit crazy when it comes to hyenas. I've seen a few interspecies lesbian relationships that work._

_Helena: What do you mean?_

_Jenna: You know, a Werelioness with another Were, like a Werebear, or … hmmm, a Werewolf. So like suppose you and I were a lesbian couple. It goes without saying that you would kill the hyena, and I would bring you your cocktails, so that would work. But with two lionesses, it would be hard to have that, because no one would want to touch, let alone kill the hyena. Besides, lionesses have enough lesbian activity in their lives as it is. They don't need more of it, really._

_Helena: And has this need even been tested? Has your father actually proven his worth in the hyena killing department, or is this just promises, promises of what he can offer?_

_Jenna: Fuck no, and yes he has killed hyenas. A few years ago, this pack of nine lesbian hyenas broke into our private residence. We still don't know how they did it. It was when we had the old alarm system, and we think one of them worked for the security company. Anyway, they got into our residence and everyone freaked the fuck out. My aunts were like, "Just take whatever you want, the artwork, the jewelry, the cars, the money in the safe. Whatever. Just fucking take it and leave."_

_And one of them said, "Oh, you know that's not all we want." We knew, and all my aunts went batshit crazy. Kara and I ran down the hall and woke our Dad. At first he was like, "What the fuck?! I'm gonna skin you two bitches. You know not to wake me from my nap." But then me and Kara just screamed "Hyenas!" at the top of our lungs, and my Dad went out to take care of it._

_Helena: And what did he do?_

_Jenna: He told those smelly dyke bitches to stay the fuck away from his family, and he took them out one by one. They tag teamed him, but he was still too much for them. _

_Helena: Did the lionesses help him?_

_Jenna: Fuck no. They didn't want to go anywhere near those things. The thought of touching a hyena makes a lioness hyperventilate. My aunts sounded like little bitches, "Assad, Assad. Do something. Oh my god. Help. Keep them away." That's all my aunts were doing, screaming and crying. To their credit, they never dropped their cocktails. It takes a lot to make my aunts drop their cocktails._

_Helena: Okay, nine against one. I'll admit I'm impressed._

_Jenna: You should be. It looked scary for a while. But then one of those hyena bitches pulled out pieces of my Dad's mane. Then he went next level on their smelly lesbian hyena asses. Nobody fucks with my Dad's mane. He has it curled and deep conditioned every two days._

_Helena: That's quite something._

_Jenna: Fuck yeah. So that's why my Dad is so important. He's been living large off that hyena shit for four years now. Nobody complains about him sleeping, or drinking cocktails or reading his Wall Street Journal. And if they do, all he has to say is "hyenas" and they shut the fuck up._

_Most lionesses want a male lion around, even if they're in a pride. And most males want to be part of a pride. It's a symbiotic relationship that's a little twisted, but it works for everyone involved. Sometimes male lions rove in packs, but usually only when they're teenagers or in their early twenties. Eventually they settle down. And in rare situations a lioness will go it on her own, but she almost always cobbles together a makeshift pride so she can feel safe and social._

_Helena: What does it look like when a Werelioness does that?_

_Jenna: Rihanna. She's going it on her own for now. Her makeshift pride is Roc-A-Fella Records. When she's tired of performing, she'll find a pride and settle down._

_Helena: So Jay-Z, Beyonce and Kanye West are Werelions?_

_Jenna: No, silly. I said Rihanna joined a makeshift pride. A makeshift pride isn't all Werelions. Beyonce is a Werelioness, but Kanye West is a Weretiger. And Jay-Z is a Wereshark. Sometimes Weresharks and Werecats form strategic alliances. Although in heterosexual couples, usually the female is the Wereshark and the male is the Werecat._

_Helena: Interesting._

_Jenna: Indeed. Some lioness's try, but we're really not about that single life. And we want a man around, even if he's just on the margins. My Dad's always like, "Fucking women." But he always takes care of us. What? I see you frowning. _

_Helena: My husband is nothing like your father._

_Jenna: Oh, get off your high horse. I don't know much about your husband, except that he's HAF. Oh, hot as fuck. But I do know about your son. He is a cat. And you should know that all male cats are misogynists, and this includes your son._

_Helena: I raised my son to respect women as equals._

_Jenna: Haha. We'll see. Your son is a tiger, so he's not going to be terrible, as male cats go. But he will still be a misogynist and hold certain stereotypes about the place of women that you won't like. _

_Helena: My son has never said anything negative about women. He –_

_Jenna: Have you ever asked him what he thinks about women? Or have you spent all your time telling him what to think? Hmm mmm. That's what I thought. Oh, I wish I could be a fly on the wall the first time he demands that you cook him a meal. That's gonna be shitloads of fun. Haha._

_Helena looked dumbstruck._

_Jenna: Hmm. I can see you're already well past majorly freaked out by all this boy cat stuff, so I might as well finish you off. You made Quinn clean up his markings, which you should know translates to him as every room in the apartment, including your room, being space to be shared equally by all alphas._

_Helena: So, what does that mean?_

_Jenna: It means if I were you, I'd check my bed for wet spots before I got into it. He's going to be humping and jacking off everywhere. His bedroom and the bathroom, obviously. The living room, because there's a big TV where he can watch porn. The kitchen, if he gets horny while he's hungry. Your furniture, and your bedroom, just because its your shit and he needs to let you know he doesn't give a fuck. That's why we keep my teenage cat cousins on the far corner of our residence. Otherwise, there would be cat cum everywhere._

_Helena looked like she was feeling nauseous._

_Jenna: I mean, we have problems with cat cum, and we're talking about lions, who don't have the highest testosterone count. Tigers fuck up to sixty times in a single fuck session. You do the math when it comes to how much cat cum that produces._

This entire time Rachel Sullivan had been looking through her files, reviewing the notes she had taken from various witnesses about Brad Baxter, and Jenna and Kara Wellington. She was sure that others had talked about Jenna's attraction to Helena, and she was loath to let it go in the off chance there was an improper fraternization issue brewing.

The HR Director noticed Helena scowling in disgust and said, "I'm sorry if the time I'm taking to make sure these interviews are thorough is making you sick, General Wolfe.'

Helena replied, "Take your time, Ms. Sullivan. I already told you that I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I'm just feeling a little under the weather. It has nothing to do with you."

Jenna was not feeling so generous. "With all due respect, Ms. Sullivan, I thought we put this issue to rest. What else do you want to know, really?"

Rachel Sullivan was wary of the Wellingtons, but she wasn't a pushover; and she wasn't accustomed to being talked to in the way Brad Baxter and now Jenna Wellington had been speaking to her. She was used to people fearing her, or at least respecting her.

Sullivan smirked and said, "Actually, Ms. Wellington, I do have one more conversation I want to clarify. I spoke with Deanna Smith and she insists that you told a group of people on General Helena's staff that, and I quote, "You are a bad kitty and you need discipline. You LFD and are Q2C when you think of General Wolfe going all YAMM on you. You want General Helena to show you who's boss because she is just so HAF you could die. You especially like imagining General Helena in a leather corset because you are FOL, especially on a HADB like General Wolfe." Ms. Smith suggested I ask you to translate.

_Fantasy Jenna: Wait until I see that little Deanna Smith bitch. I'm going to cunt punt her little undercover slutty ass._

Jenna was nonplussed and calm. She turned to gaze directly at Helena as she explained, "The phrase means, 'I am a bad kitty and I need discipline. I love female dominance and I'm quick to come whenever I think of General Wolfe going all _you are my master _and dominating me in an S&M kind of way. I want General Helena to show me who's the boss because she is just so hot as fuck I could die. I especially like imagining General Helena in a leather corset because I'm fond of leather, especially when it's worn by a hot ass dominant bitch like General Wolfe.'"

Rachel Sullivan looked both embarrassed and incredulous. Helena just looked scandalized. Sullivan asked, "And you don't think such a statement suggests a sexual attraction to General Wolfe?"

Jenna retorted, "It might or it might not. If I said something like that I would have been bullshitting. But it's a moot point because I didn't say it. Deanna did."

Helena was having a feeling of déjà vu. She thought back to how Quinn so boldly stated that it was Helena who pissed up the apartment. Seeing Jenna in action wasn't making Helena feel better about what was in store for her with Quinn. Of course, at the moment Jenna was bothering Helena in other ways.

_Fantasy Jenna wasn't remotely interested in Sullivan's interrogation. She rubbed fantasy Helena's arm and purred, "I'm doing so well for you with this HR bitch. I did say all of that shit, by the way. I want you to show me who's boss, and I'm going to keep being a bad kitty and doing terrible things until you do. Don't you want to get out of my head and take this live? I would just die right then and there if you fucked me. Just once. My life would be complete. I promise I won't tell. I'm discreet. You can trust me._

Sullivan was intrigued, the same as Helena was when Quinn lied so boldly. Of course, Helena would have been more amazed if Quinn had been hooked up to a lie detector machine. She inquired, "And who do _you_ say said this?"

Jenna quickly replied, "I think Deanna said the shit, and because she's a hating ass bitch she's saying I said it."

Rachel Sullivan smiled as if she'd caught a cat. "I'm not sure why my machine isn't registering this, but are you aware that Deanna Smith is a devout Mormon? I spoke with several people to cross check the sincerity of her religious faith. She goes to church every week. And despite being twenty-six, she only goes on supervised dates because she's a virgin waiting for marriage. So I don't believe that you heard such a statement come out of Deanna's mouth. She asked me to request that you translate the coded words because when I spoke with her she was too embarrassed to tell me. She said she only knew what they meant because you gave a painstakingly detailed tutorial to everyone who didn't know what the words meant. She passed her lie detector test with flying colors. Would you like to come clean now?"

Helena was worried, until she saw Jenna lean forward to meet Rachel Sullivan's gaze with equal measure. The Werelioness was smirking hard. "So it looks like we have a tie. I'm passing your bullshit machine, and so did she. Well, you know why I tell my cousin Kara, who also lives in church and tries to drag me there every week, that religious fucktards are often just so much pieces of shit? Because so many of them have the ability to delude their own minds over the fucked up shit they do that conflicts with their stupid religion. Me? I say just do the shit and enjoy it. Enough with the fucking guilt."

Sullivan quirked a brow. She looked at Helena, but the alpha wolf was just as clueless as Sullivan. Sullivan finally asked, "What exactly does that mean, Ms. Wellington?"

Jenna purred, "It means that your oh so wonderful little Mormon Deanna Smith is a self-delusional pathological lying slut."

Jenna pulled out her cellphone and clicked on several buttons, bringing up a video. She held up the phone so that both Rachel Sullivan and Helena could see the screen.

Jenna faked a lamentation, "Oh noooo. What's this? It looks like a video of little Ms. Saving Herself for Marriage Mormon Deanna Smith, knees on the floor of our work area storage closet, sucking off my fiancé, Brad Baxter. You can tell it's Brad because the pubes around his dick are the same white blonde color as his mane. I caught my fiancé cheating on me with her. He fucked her but that's it. He's marrying me. Deanna wants my man and she told you that shit to attack me, and you ate it up. Obviously your machine doesn't work on pathological religious nutjobs who tell themselves they're virgins when in reality they're just garden-variety sluts who suck off people's fiancés in work storage closets.

_Jenna: That's not really what happened. It's true that I hate that bitch Deanna with a passion. But she could never in a million years get Brad to let her suck him off on her own. I was bored and told Brad I'd give him a real blow job the way he likes it under the field test bleachers if he could convince her Little Ms. Mormon ass to work his pole. I didn't think he could pull it off, but he sometimes surprises me. _

_This video was just going to be for my private amusement. But since the bitch tried to play me it's up on Youtube and ILP Video by lunchtime, with text links to our whole team._

_Helena: You will not do that._

_Jenna: Will you fuck me if I don't?_

_Helena: No. You're just not going to do that. If you do, I will tell Arielle._

_Jenna: Oh fuck, fine._

Meanwhile, Rachel Sullivan looked like all the wind had been let out of her sails. Jenna asked, "Are we done?"

Sullivan absently said, "Yes."

_Jenna: Thank god. I really want to cunt punt this bitch, but it would ruin my Alexander Queen pumps._

_Helena: Why on Planet Earth do you wear those things to work?_

_Jenna: Because they're HAF, of course. Like me._

Jenna rose to leave but then went on a tear. "You know, Ms. Sullivan. I never knew what the federal government was like, as a place of management, I mean. Seeing this shit makes me understand why most of my family is Republican. You people are always trying to raise taxes. You'd have plenty of money to do everything you needed if you didn't waste resources with shit like this. And what's with spying on everyone and asking who they fuck. Democrats seem to love witch hunts, as long as they're the ones conducting them.

You should know that my family owns significant interests in _every _major media outlet in the country. If you keep this shit up, harassing people like me and Brad and General Helena, I'm going on Sean Hannity and tell everyone about my time as a federal employee and all the bullshit government waste and witch hunts I saw while I was here. I think that would be a black eye on your administration, wouldn't it?"

Rachel Sullivan just sat there, her mouth hanging slightly open.

_Jenna: I wouldn't really go on Sean Hannity. Arielle wants Wellingtons to stay under the radar screen. I disagree, but she's the Queen._

_Oh, and I'm not really Republican. I don't even vote. There's no point. My family created and controls all three political parties. I don't give a shit about any of them. Politics is for people who aren't billionaires._

_However, for your purposes, I would describe myself as a liberal Democrat in the bedroom. I'm also often an Independent, but going solo gets so boring._

Jenna went to the door and called for Kara Wellington to come in. Rachel Sullivan regarded Helena, who looked completely dazed and confused by her mental encounter with Jenna Wellington.

Of course, Rachel Sullivan didn't know anything about the _totally_ separate, private mental conversation that had been going on between Helena and Jenna when she ironically observed, "Good god. You have my sympathies with that one."

**_HR Director Sullivan's Third and Final Interviewee – Kara Wellington_**

Helena was cruising now. She had scheduled the interviews in order from most to least difficult. If the alpha wolf wasn't dead by now, she was in the clear. Kara Wellington was the last interview of this hellish process. Helena knew everything that Kara was going to say, and it was all going to be glowing.

Kara Leonine Wellington, 50th (aka Kara Wellington) was Arielle Wellington's daughter and the future Queen of the Wellington family pride. If Brad Baxter and Jenna Wellington represented the worst of cats, Kara represented the exception that proved the rule. She was the most un-cat-like cat Helena had ever met.

Kara was efficient, brilliant, and extremely responsible. But more than that, she was not duplicitous or dishonest in any way. She said what she meant and meant what she said. She didn't hurt or torture people for sport. In fact, when Brad Baxter shoved Ian the Werebear down the stairs, Kara was the first person who went to help him.

Kara was Helena's star recruit. She was at the top of the class across the board, which made it easy for Helena to dote on her without conflict or perceived favoritism. Kara was the undisputed second in command of Helena's group. On the rare occasions when Helena took a day off, she left Kara in charge. Helena trusted that Kara was competent enough to handle things in her absence, and wise enough to contact her if a true emergency happened.

Kara was very much like Helena in other ways, particularly her interests in the spiritual realm. Kara's thoughts were unadulterated and open, and they tended to focus on two subjects. The first was spiritual issues and questions about the nature of existence, the same questions that so fascinated Helena. Who am I? Why am I here? Who made me? What else is out there?

Other things were just nice touches that said so much about who Kara fundamentally was as a person. She was an heiress to one of the greatest fortunes in the world. Yet she volunteered for several public charities. She did the grunt work of serving food or painting a school because "there would be plenty of time later to serve on boards of trustees" when she became Queen. She drove a Toyota Prius to save the environment. And she was genuinely caring and helpful to everyone. Kara didn't make the same distinctions between so-called fucktards and non-fucktards that Jenna did. Helena marveled that two people as unapologetically evil as Arielle and Assad Wellington could produce a child as morally upstanding, loving and wonderful as Kara.

The second subject that loomed large in Kara Wellington's mind was Quinn. Helena knew Kara's thoughts like the back of her hand. Kara never saw a need to shield them from her. Kara's mind was filled with large posters of Quinn Blake all over the walls. Kara had memorized every detail of her son's face. His teeth, his eyes, his hair and chin. She had a particular love for his widow's peak and the slight "almost" dimples that hinted in his cheeks on the rare occasions when he smiled wide enough.

Kara's thoughts about Quinn were always PG rated. She sometimes focused on other body parts besides Quinn's face, mostly his hands and chest. To Helena's knowledge, she never undressed him, except for a few times when she imagined him in a tank top. The few naughty thoughts Kara had were prompted by Jenna.

Helena noticed a couple of times that Kara was wearing a tighter than normal zipper jacket with the zipper pulled much lower than normal. She wasn't surprised to find in Kara's mind images of Jenna pulling the zipper down and Kara pulling it back up, until they reached a truce about the proper placement. Jenna had encouraged Kara to be a little bit more revealing to try and get Quinn to notice her when she brought him his cocoa. Quinn, of course, didn't notice, due to the dominance of his inner android.

Helena also knew that Jenna was the one who had convinced Kara to steal kisses from her son. She used the guise of helping him study CPR techniques to lock lips for several weeks in the storage closets of both Draco and the Sonoran Army base. Helena, having spent more than her share of time making out in storage closets, understood the appeal of a stolen romantic moment. However, she also knew that the kissing sessions, if they could be called that when Quinn really didn't move that much or understand what was happening, were far more romantic for Kara than for Quinn. He seemed, at the time, to have no reaction to his impromptu CPR practice sessions with the beautiful lioness.

Helena liked … no, she loved, Kara. She had come to think of Kara as the daughter she never had; and so she didn't mind that Kara was the woman who loved her son. Helena knew this day was coming. It had to come eventually. Quinn was a seventy-four year old virgin, after all. Before Quinn's changes, Helena believed her greatest worry would be getting used to the idea of another person, a love interest, in her son's life, of sharing her son and his time with someone else. So she was thankful it was going to be someone she liked … No, loved, a lot. Her only other concern was Quinn coming under the influence of Kara's family, who Helena believed to be, except for Kara, irrevocably evil.

But now, as Kara took her seat next to Helena to be interviewed by Rachel Sullivan, Helena's mind was cycling through a whole new set of worries. She had one set of worries about whether Quinn and Kara could be together at all. What if the Wellingtons didn't want Quinn to be with Kara? Kara was going to be the Queen, and according to Jenna a queen had never chosen a tiger. As much as she disliked the Wellington family, it had never occurred to Helena to prevent Quinn from being with someone he loved. Of course, she was only concerned about her son's happiness. She didn't have a family dynasty to protect.

Helena also worried that even if the Wellingtons didn't object to Kara dating Quinn, the two of them would kill each other trying to reconcile their alpha natures within the relationship. However, most of Helena's new worries that had emerged over the past hour were about Quinn's behavior. These worries had largely been generated by Jenna Wellington's many admonitions about male cats, as well as the sexual images of Kara that Helena saw floating around in Quinn's head this morning.

Rachel Sullivan was just going through the motions at this point. She knew that her best chances to make General Helena squirm were with Brad Baxter and Jenna Wellington. Instead, they both made _her_ squirm, and she ended up being happy to get rid of them. Sullivan's intelligence already told her that Kara Wellington was completely in Helena's corner and would rave all day about her manager if permitted.

Kara, being the leader that she was, took control of the meeting. "Good morning, Ms. Sullivan. I see that your interviews ran long, and I know you have other meetings scheduled for today. You've already got the information from my phone interview. Now that you've hooked me up to this machine, I can make this meeting really short for you by simply saying that I stand by everything I said in my interview about General Helena.

Sullivan wasn't surprised. She style flexed and cut to the chase. "Ms. Wellington, I'm well aware of how much you admire General Helena. And my lie detector machine indicates that you fully believe every glowing thing you've said about your manager. I give what you say considerable weight, because I know how impressive you are. I've seen your test results. You are by far the most stellar Colonel in your class. If there was one slot for someone to be groomed for General, you'd be the clear choice, so much so that your peers wouldn't even begrudge you."

Kara didn't react to Sullivan's praises. Helena sensed that she was focused on where Sullivan was going with the questioning.

Sullivan noted, "You're quite fond of General Helena's son, Quinn, aren't you, Ms. Wellington?"

Kara sat silently, not taking the bait.

Sullivan continued, "Rumor has it that you are always ready with Quinn's favorite cocoa whenever he works on Draco, correct?"

Kara answered easily, "I enjoy spending time with Quinn, yes."

Sullivan pressed, but it was half-hearted, "Do you think your infatuation with Quinn Blake might have something to do with your extreme admiration of Quinn Blake's mother, who happens to be your boss? You also use her shampoo, don't you?"

Kara wasn't flustered in the least as she said, "The fact that I like Quinn has nothing to do with my appreciation that General Helena is a great mentor to me. I use the same shampoo as her, yes. I'm not ashamed to say I emulate her in lots of other ways. She is the kind of person who should be emulated. She's extremely intelligent, an excellent teacher, and a heavily invested manager who spends more time at work than she does at home. She's poured her life into her career, and into all of us."

Sullivan was already packing up as she said, "Fair enough, Ms. Wellington. I guess that covers everything."

Kara interjected, "Not quite. I know this unfair accusation against General Helena has been extremely stressful for her. She should never have had to do all of this to prove herself. But I'm selfishly glad that she did, because it gave me the opportunity to work with and get to know her. This isn't going to be my career. I'm just working here for a short time to gain some valuable skills before I take over my family's businesses.

This probably isn't professional to say, but I don't care. I want you to expressly note it in the record. General Helena isn't just my manager, or a great mentor. She's someone I'm going to remember and hope to know for the rest of my life, long after I leave this job. The most accurate description I can give is that she's … she's like a second mother to me. If she can be that kind of influence in my life, then obviously she doesn't hate cats. I'd say she loves them."

Speaking of love, Helena knew that Kara was madly in love with her son. She had been from the first moment she laid eyes on Quinn. Right now Helena was feeling like being an empath was a curse. This was because the alpha wolf could see both the thoughts of her son and Kara; and how different and far apart the two were in terms of what they wanted from the other. Kara wanted to hold hands, take walks, share hopes and dreams, make out and cuddle. Quinn wanted to fuck. Hard and often, he just didn't fully realize it yet. His mind was still a little clueless, but his body knew exactly what it wanted.

Helena was deeply concerned about her son's trek into manhood. She saw images in Kara's mind from this morning's encounter with Quinn. Helena saw the edgy flirtation, the double entendres and intense stares as Quinn undressed Kara with his eyes. Helena saw Quinn pushing up on Kara and pulling her to him aggressively. Quinn's desires were shadowy, and growing darker by the minute. It wouldn't be long before he gathered together the necessary information, most likely from the internet's sea of pornography, to teach himself how to realize his every want, and it made Helena shudder when she considered that Kara was the focus of her son's elicit cravings.

Helena could see in this morning's exchange that Kara was slightly scared of her son and his unexpected aggressiveness, but her love for him made her entertain, for the briefest of moments, giving Quinn whatever he wanted. Helena knew that her son was highly intelligent, and would easily pick up on Kara's emotional openness and exploit it. How long would it be before Kara capitulated to Quinn's persistent efforts? What would Quinn try to take from the beautiful Werelioness, and what would she concede? The thought of her son, who she loved, hurting Kara, the women who the alpha wolf loved like a daughter, made Helena sick to her stomach.

Rachel Sullivan told Kara her interview was over. The brunette smiled warmly at Helena as she walked out of her office.

Sullivan packed up as she said, "Well, I'm done here, General Helena. I'm glad to be closing your file, really. I've got real problems with real stupid people. That Werecougar in Accounting transferred the Weregazelle to another department. But she still doesn't get it. She seems to think she's not being a cougar if she's stroking on a twenty-year old cougar."

Helena laughed. Sullivan observed, "In your case, I'm not surprised that you succeeded in stellar fashion. You should know that I have decided to scrub your file. The test results stay, but the initial results will be effectively undone by my report."

Helena asked, confused, "I thought you said the tests were infallible?"

Sullivan answered, "Oh, that's just shit I tell people to cover my ass in case I have to fire them, because a lot of times I do have to fire them. Between you and me, the tests can only measure so much. We're well aware of this. The tests can't take the place of huma- Sorry, sentient analysis."

Helena said, "I see." She was cautious, but hopeful about what Sullivan was saying. "So what is it you intend to write about me?"

Sullivan explained, "I know that the IAT indicates that you hate cats. That was, of course, the simplest and most obvious answer. But based on what I've seen to date, including these interviews today, you don't hate cats.

I think you were unfamiliar with cats, and you avoided them because you feared you wouldn't know how to communicate with them or relate to them. That's a much different issue than bigotry. It's more nuanced, and the IAT isn't designed to appreciate that kind of nuance. But I am.

Ultimately, the journey you took with the IAT and hiring full-blooded cats is going to help you significantly. I think much more so than if you had never gone through this experience. I know it was unpleasant for you, but I think it's been good for you in several ways."

Helena was confused. "Why do you say that?"

Sullivan explained, "Because as much as you want to be perfect, Helena, and your tests show that you do … nobody is. We all have things we can learn. Things we can change about ourselves, and improve. We all have room to grow. Even if we are a stellar in every way imaginable general, like yourself.

Someone with your years of experience and gravitas often finds it hard to do new things. To be a student. To your credit you took on something you seemed to dread and you figured it out. The fact that you can work with Brad Baxter and Jenna Wellington … hell, not just work with them, but train them and garner their respect … is impressive.

But your crowning achievement is what you've done with Kara Wellington. This isn't going into the record, but I thought you'd want to know that during her phone interview Kara said she loves you. She wasn't being flippant or light about it, either. That's how she genuinely feels about you. She's a soldier, and I dare say she looks up to you so much that she would put her life on the line for you."

Helena smiled a little as she heard this. She felt the same way about Kara.

Sullivan mused, "That sort of loyalty and bonding in a civilian setting is rare. It's a testament to you that you formed such a powerful bond, and with a full-blooded cat, of all things. You don't hate cats. You were just afraid. Afraid of cats, and afraid of failing in your dealings with them."

Helena frowned. She didn't like being psychoanalyzed by Rachel Sullivan. Sullivan packed up the last of her things and regarded Helena, then said, "The fact that you were able to push past your fears and do so well is going to make your already glowing file that much brighter. If this country ever gets its hatred of Weres under control, you're on a short list for Joint Chiefs of Staff or Presidential advisory commission.

Rachel paused for a moment, then said softly, "But maybe some part of this experience is relevant not just to your career, but to other parts of your life. Your family, maybe. Your _son_, in particular. I think in this process you learned that despite your fears you can understand and get along with cats. There's a great deal you can teach them. You can spend time with them. Train them. And … _love_ them."

With that, Rachel Sullivan headed out the door; and for the first time in more than twenty-four hours, Helena closed her eyes and allowed her mind to go blank.

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_General M and Colonel Quinn in the Mission Strategies Command Group_**

**_(MSCG - Work Sector 1)_**

M strolled into the open work area of the Mission Strategies Command Group. Most of M's staff was out in the field today, but Quinn was working on the reports his father had asked him to complete. M saw his son at a workstation. His back was to M and he seemed to be intently working.

Despite Quinn's four egotistical babies, who just wanted to fuck and eat and sate whatever other hungers came over them, Quinn's android was wise and strong. The inner android demanded, as much as it could, that work be completed. The android made the very reasonable argument that the babies would be much freer to sate their lusts if people weren't hyper-focused on Quinn. And the best way to stay under the radar screen was to just get his work done without incident.

But there was only so much an outnumbered android could do before the babies insisted on something to make the workday more interesting. Accordingly, Quinn had been fiddling with a large cardboard box, which he promptly closed and secured as he heard his father enter the room. He pushed the box along the table it was resting on until it was pressed against the wall.

M greeted his son, "Hello, Colonel Quinn."

Quinn easily responded, "Hello, General M."

M paused for a moment as he processed the sound of his son's voice. He regarded his son's longer hair and fierce countenance and said, "So, it looks like there have been some changes with you. I like your voice, son."

Quinn glanced up at his father. He asked, a bit surprised, "You do?"

"Why, yes. Why wouldn't I?" You're becoming a man." M smiled. Quinn could see that his father's smile was genuinely proud.

M didn't know an easy way to get into it, and he was a direct man. So he said, "Your Mother tells me that you and she had a fight this morning?"

Quinn grunted. "If you want to call it that. She kicked my ass."

M chuckled and asked, "Your mother says you peed all over the apartment."

Quinn retorted, "I didn't pee _all over _the apartment."

M didn't care to get into the semantics with Quinn. He simply observed, "Well, whether it was all over the house or in one tiny spot, you can understand why your Mother wouldn't like it if you deliberately urinated on the floor or some place other than in the toilet. We're all soldiers, Quinn. We're neat, and your Mother is neater than most. Peeing on the floor would invite … conflict."

Quinn didn't say anything. He just kept looking down at his papers, although he wasn't really reading them, just avoiding eye contact with his father. M moved closer, into his son's personal space, and placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder. Quinn looked into his father's eyes. He had never noticed how piercing his father's eyes were, or how big and strong his arms were, or the confidence that exuded off him. But he did now.

As if he could read his son's mind, M smiled and flexed his arm. Then he took his thick hammy hand and patted his son's face. The pat was more like a slap, but friendly, as M said, "My boy is becoming a man."

Quinn groused, "I am a man."

M replied, "True. You are. However, I think you still have some things to learn. Being a man isn't just about being physically big and strong, or even attaining a certain age. I see a fire in your eyes, son. A fire I've never seen before. You've got some thoughts going on in your head, and some … urges? Yes?"

Quinn didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say, exactly. He knew he had all sorts of urges, but he hadn't sorted them all out yet.

But M was persistent. He grabbed Quinn by the hair in a move that was rough and gentle at the same time. He pulled his head up so that he could look him in the eyes. He asked again, "You have some interest in spending time with a certain young lady, yes? Kara?"

Quinn nodded, _"Yes."_

M smiled and said, "Well, she seems very nice. And she's very beautiful. She looks a lot like your Mother."

Quinn grunted in annoyance, indicating that Kara's resemblance to his Mother wasn't a big selling point at the moment.

M laughed and said, "Well, I see we've still got some holdover feelings about this morning's … discussion … with your Mother."

Quinn looked suddenly angry when he said, "She naped me by the neck like a cub."

M started to laugh, but stifled it when he saw Quinn glaring at him. He struggled to look sympathetic as he said, "I can understand why that would upset you, Son."

Quinn suddenly asked, perhaps to get back at M for laughing about his Mother naping him, "Why do you let Mother run all over you? She runs all over everyone. Why don't you do something about it?"

M could see the judgmental look coming from his son, but he wasn't bothered by it. He calmly asked, "Is that what you feel I should have done, Son? Tried to force my will on your Mother. Fight and fight for dominance?"

Quinn's silence gave away his opinion on the matter. He scowled, "Hammer and Dodson are always calling you a beta male. Don't you get tired of that?"

M stood a bit taller and moved in closer to his son. His voice was quiet but full of authority, as he asked, "Tell me, Son. What makes me a bigger beta male? Managing my family affairs the way that I think is best, regardless of the opinions of others who aren't my family and don't pay my bills? Or allowing such people to have so much influence over me that I engage in behaviors I don't wish to do so that they can pretend to be impressed?"

Quinn frowned. He hadn't thought of it that way.

M continued, "Your Mother was designed by forces beyond her control to be what she is, and so was I. Our creators didn't imagine she and I spending our lives together as a couple, or us making or being a family. In their minds, we would simply occupy the same space, but ultimately do their bidding. That was all they planned for us.

But the two of us wanted more than what others thought we should have. _I_ wanted more than that. I was designed to be an alpha, and I am in almost every setting. I was designed to be a soldier, the perfect soldier. And I am that in most situations. But I wanted a life companion, a spouse. I wanted a family, so I made a choice.

I could have been the supreme alpha over everything, but I would have been alone. I wouldn't have Helena or Afrida, or an intelligent, strong, handsome son named Quinn."

Quinn's eye widened, a little fearful at just the thought of the alternative reality that M was describing. M intoned, "So instead of being the absolute alpha in everything and being alone, I chose to give that role to my wife, your Mother, so that we could be together as a family. Do you think I made the wrong choice?"

Quinn shook his head slowly, still processing what his father had just told him, _"No."_

M smiled and regarded his son. He intoned, "You're an alpha, just like your Mother. Just like me. Just like Afrida, for that matter. But you're going to learn that being an alpha doesn't mean never compromising. Nor does it mean always getting your way, or lording over and controlling others. This especially applies to those you love. Being an alpha may sometimes mean exerting the greatest control over yourself, and your own wishes and desires, for the sake of another. And here's the strange part, sometimes that other person who benefits from you exerting control over yourself … is you."

Quinn frowned and asked, "What does that mean?"

M explained, "By exerting control over my alpha self within my family, I have a much fuller, richer life than I would have had if I had not exerted such control. My decision benefits my entire family, but in a sense no one more than me. In much the same way, I think a Quinn Blake who never compromises, never controls himself, is going to be much sadder and lonelier, and live a much lesser life … than a Quinn who does."

M looked at his watch. "I've got lunch with these generals. You're welcome to come."

Quinn replied, "No, thanks. I want to spend some time by myself. I'm going to take a stroll out in the desert and think about the _Blade Runner_ riddle. I'm close to coming up with a really good answer."

M said, "That sounds nice, Quinn. I'm … I'm sorry that I didn't have time to go over the riddle with you when you wanted to before. I was … It wasn't a good day for me. I'm also sorry for yelling at you about the field test. That wasn't your fault. I'm the one who fucked up. And I'm sorry I haven't been as focused on you as I should have for the past two weeks."

Quinn was quiet. He looked like he wanted to ask something. M raised his eyebrows and gave him a look that said, "_Go ahead. Ask it." _Quinn, a little fearful of the answer, quietly asked, "Are you and Mother and Afrida … getting a … divorce?"

M frowned hard and deep, the lines forming visible grooves in his face. "No. We are absolutely not getting a divorce. Where did you get that idea?"

Quinn looked up. He didn't like that his father was frowning. M looked almost … angry. But he liked the answer his father gave to his question. It didn't seem appropriate to smile at his frowning father, so he didn't let his lips curve into happiness. But he smiled on the inside.

Quinn answered, "Because Afrida has never been away from home this long, and she's been crying. And you and Mother have been yelling at each other."

M's frown turned into a look of sadness, and a bit of shame. He said, "Yes, well. Sometimes families have arguments. It's not pleasant, but it doesn't mean they don't love each other, or that they're breaking up. You and your Mother had a big argument this morning, but it doesn't change the fact that you both love each other. Yes?"

Quinn growled a little. He knew what his father was saying was true, but he wasn't in the mood to think about loving his mother right now. He muttered, "Mother doesn't want me to grow up, to be a man. She just wants me to stay the way she wants me. She doesn't care what I want."

M reflected, "Hmmm. Don't be so hard on your Mother, Quinn. She loves you very much. All parents have a little resistance to the idea of their children growing up. She … we … just have to get used to some changes. Your parents are going through some changes right now, and so are you. We never plan for change. We never want it. It's not always fun. I'm looking at you now, and it seems like just the other day you were my little tiger cub with the big little roar. But I have to accept that you're not my little tiger cub anymore."

Quinn groused, "I'm not a cub anymore, General M."

"I know, Son. I know." M patted Quinn on the shoulder. "And along those lines, I think it will be good for you and your old man to spend a bit more time together. How about we block off tomorrow afternoon for just the two of us. We can do whatever you want to do. You can think about it and tell me whenever-"

Quinn interjected, "I already know what I want to do."

M looked surprised. He smiled and said, "Okay."

Quinn thought of how his Mother kicked his ass earlier that morning and said, "I want to spar, to practice fighting." Obviously, the alpha tiger needed to step up his game in the fighting department, if his Mother was so easily kicking his ass.

M replied a little slyly, "Hmmm, fighting, huh? Just the thing a growing man needs for going out in the world. Okay, you can test out your beta male father. See what you can do with him. And then maybe we can grab something to eat."

Just then, Quinn's box that was pressed against the wall moved, just slightly. Something inside was pushing against its walls. Quinn took a quick glance at the box, then checked to see if his father noticed it. He hadn't.

Quinn quickly said, "That sounds good. I think it's time for your lunch, General M."

M glanced at his watch and raised his eyebrows at how quickly the time had passed. "You're right. I do have to get going. Sure you don't want to come and have lunch with a bunch of old generals farting all over the place and remembering wars long past?

Quinn heard the box shuffle again. He gripped his father's arm and guided him toward the door. "No, I'm going to eat lunch by myself while I take a stroll in the desert. I really want to come up with a good answer for the _Blade Runner_ riddle."

M laughed and said, "I admire your dedication to the task, Son. I like your idea of going out into the desert. Sometimes a good visual improves our ability to solve a problem. I'm sure you'll be inspired and come up with something really good."

Quinn smiled a devilish smile and said, "Yes. I'm sure I will, too."

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_General Afrida in the Department of Scientific Research and Development_**

**_(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

General Afrida strolled down the hall on her way back to Work Sector 3. She had just finished a group lunch with some of her staff. She realized that she had been a somewhat distant manager, largely due to her personal stresses. Her team was used to collaborating with her, and while she had been with them physically, she wasn't there mentally. And she had taken more than a few extended breaks to hide somewhere and cry, or just have time to herself, while she wondered what the hell was going on with her wife.

Having M unexpectedly be with her last night, and the time they shared this morning, had made Afrida feel a whole lot better. For the first time since she returned from Cyprus, she felt like her life, just maybe, wasn't going to fall apart. M had promised her that no matter what, she was going to have her family, forever. She looked into his eyes and his heart, and she believed him.

Afrida was still confused, angry and frustrated with Helena. But at least she didn't … hate her. In fact, as she strolled down the hall it occurred to Afrida that she missed Helena, very much, and suddenly wanted to hear her voice. Without thinking another thought, Afrida took out her cell phone and dialed her wife. She listened as the phone rang. She was a bit surprised that her heart was racing.

Helena answered on the first ring. "Hello? Afrida?"

Afrida paused for a moment. Then she said, "H-hi."

Neither Afrida nor Helena knew this, but at this moment the two of them looked like twin awkward school girls. They both stood in the hallway just outside their respective work areas, heads tilted into their cell phones, listening to each other breathe.

Finally, Afrida drawled, "Weeeellllll?"

Helena's body reacted to the one word question. The alpha wolf marveled that only her beautiful, sexy wife could make the word "well" sound so sensual.

Helena blushed as she asked, "Well, what?"

Afrida laughed a full and throaty chuckle, and clarified, "Well, are you still a bigot who persecutes cats, or have you reformed yourself?"

Helena smiled into the phone. "You remembered my Sullivan meeting?"

Afrida answered lovingly and sincerely, "That meeting was very important for you, Helena. I remember every important thing about you, and most of the not so important things."

Helena felt her heart skip a beat. She sighed, then breathed into the phone, "Thank you."

There was a moment of silence, then Helena moved on, trying to sound normal. She said, "Apparently, I was never a bigot. I was just insecure about my ability to work with cats, me being so unfamiliar with them, and all."

Afrida smiled. Something about Helena's tone. It sounded like she was … flirting. "So what does this mean for your file?"

Helena said, "It means Sullivan is reconstituting the test results. A more nuanced view indicates that I am an excellent manager who demonstrated my ability to grow and improve myself, even at this advanced stage in my career. I'm apparently the kind of general worthy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or a Presidential Commission."

Afrida's eyes widened. She asked, "You're serious. Sullivan said that?"

Helena replied warmly, "Hmm, mmm. Your wife's hot stuff."

Afrida flirted a little, "I know she is, although my memory is getting rusty. I want … I miss you, Helena."

Helena grew quiet. Talking to her wife had been so familiar and wonderful that she temporarily forgot that Afrida was a goddess without her memory and needed to concentrate on her self discovery. Right now, it felt like Afrida was just her wife, who for some reason didn't know where she came from or who she was, but eventually she would probably remember that she was a nymph or some other supernatural, but relatively mundane, being.

Helena was contemplating all the places on her wife's body that she wanted to rediscover. But she just whispered, "I miss you, too."

Afrida whispered back, "MacArthur promises that we're going to be alright. We're going to be together, as a family, forever. Is this right?"

Helena's mind raced. It had been almost two weeks since Helena spoke with Alexis Stavros, and she still didn't know how on earth she was going to do what she needed to do for Afrida. Afrida had given her approximately another week and a half before she was going to demand some firm answers. Helena viewed this as a kind of deadline, and it was looming. Helena simply replied, "Yes, MacArthur is absolutely right."

Helena heard Afrida breathe into the phone. It sounded like a sigh of relief. Afrida finally said, a bit seductively, "A day like today. It's the kind of thing we normally celebrate. I suppose that's out of the question, huh?"

Helena knew what Afrida meant. She had been stressed out about this Sullivan meeting for a long time. The day had finally come and the dreaded experience was now over. And everything had turned out well. Under normal circumstances, Helena, Afrida and M would go out for an early dinner, and spend the rest of the night in bed together making love. Helena's privates quickened at the thought, and she felt swirls of arousal in her lower abdomen.

It took all of Helena's will power to say, "No. I … don't think so. But … it's not because I don't want to, Afrida. I want it so badly. I do."

"But …?" Afrida asked. She was confused, but she could also hear the genuine arousal and longing in Helena's voice.

Helena struggled, then said as much as she could truthfully say right now. "I know what I'm doing right now doesn't make sense, Afrida. But I promise you I'm going to try and make it make sense. I just need … time."

Afrida was taking deep breaths as she listened to Helena. She could hear the feeling and sincerity in her wife's voice. She took a deep breath and asked, "MacArthur tells me that whatever you're doing, it's because you love me. Is that true, Helena?

Helena immediately replied, "Yes, Afrida. I … this, what I'm doing … is about you. It's for you. It is because I love you. So much."

There was a long silence, and neither one of them knew what to say. Finally, Afrida asked, "Can I … can I see you today?"

Helena said softly, "Yes, I was planning to come see you after your afternoon meetings. I wanted to tell you about the Sullivan meeting, and hear about you. And I wanted to talk to you about Quinn."

Afrida quickly asked, "What's wrong with Quinn?"

Helena, "Everything and nothing. I think he's going through … puberty. The vampire, fairy, maenad and tiger parts of him are … awakening."

"Hmmm," Afrida mused."

Helena asked, "You don't sound surprised?"

Afrida said, "I guess not. I didn't know what you were going to say, but now that you've said it … it makes sense. I knew he was going through some kind of change. He sounds like Barry White now."

Helena and Afrida laughed. Then Afrida said, "I better get ready for my meetings."

Helena reluctantly let her wife go. She said, "Okay. Afrida?"

Afrida replied softly, moved by something in Helena's voice. "Yes?"

Helena said, with as much feeling as she could convey through the phone, "I love you."

Afrida worked to keep from crying as she answered, "I love you, too."

Afrida put her cell phone back in her pocket. She sighed and leaned against the hallway wall, taking a moment to gather herself. She felt so in love with Helena, and so confused. But she held on to the things she now felt she knew. Helena loved her, and she wasn't trying to break up their family. Between this conversation with Helena, and her time this morning with MacArthur, Afrida felt so much better.

She collected herself one last time, then entered her work area. General Afrida was the Chief Science Officer for the VA Program. Soon after she fell to earth, M and Afrida discovered that the mysterious and beautiful blonde who suddenly came into their lives knew an astounding amount of information about the most cutting edge science of their time. She seemed to be an endless repository of scientific information about Planet Earth and the earth's solar system, from physics to biology to chemistry to astronomy to geology, as well as multidisciplinary sciences like bio-chemistry and astro-physics. In fact, Afrida didn't know how she knew these things, but her knowledge of scientific subjects actually far surpassed what was considered the most advanced knowledge on earth to date.

Afrida managed a team of twenty-eight scientists. Her young charges were all extremely brilliant. They had graduated from the best scientific programs in the country. Most of them resided somewhere toward the autistic end of the Asperger's scale. This meant they were often socially awkward and didn't always pick up on social cues. They had an intense interest in a few narrow subject areas, which made them perfect scientists. Having android Quinn for a son normalized her team, at least for Afrida. She was comfortable with her staff and knew how to work with and mentor them.

There were seven managed groups in the VA Program. General M and General Helena's groups were a mixture of soldiers and scientists. Perhaps the best way to describe them is that they are extremely smart soldiers. They were trained in the sciences, but also trained in combat. They were primarily responsible for testing new weapons developed by the VA Program, or more accurately, weapons developed by General Afrida's Scientific Research and Development Group.

General Hammer and General Dodson's groups were primarily pure combat soldiers. They would be trained for battle once the VA weapons were control and field tested, and made combat ready. General Cavanaugh's group conducted intelligence and policy work, including interfacing with the President and Congress. Finally, Marigold Caster's group didn't fit neatly into any category, but it was decidedly nonscientific. The "witch group" as Hammer so lovingly called it, utilized magic, clairvoyance, knowledge of the earth's changes during the transition of the Astrological Age of Aquarius and other mystical arts. In the anticipated military action against vampires, nothing was dismissed as too far-fetched, especially since it was well known within the VA Program that magic was quite effective against vampires.

Afrida's research group was the baseline group on which all the other VA Program groups depended. Without new VA weapons, there was nothing for M and Helena's groups to test. Nor would there be combat ready VA weapons for Hammer and Dodson's groups to take into battle. There would be nothing for Cavanaugh's group to pitch to the President and Congress. And although Caster's group could still be operational, it probably wouldn't even exist because the powers that be would be too skeptical regarding its value. It was seeing the effectiveness of the VA weapons created by Afrida's group that made the Pentagon leadership and the White House open to believing in alternative, unconventional tactics to control vampires, such as magic and manipulation of the earth's energy. Thus, in essence, Afrida was the general in charge of ground zero for the VA Program.

This sense of importance permeated Afrida's entire team, giving them an immense sense of pride, some might even say more than a bit of arrogance. In many other settings, the SRD group staff would be the discounted geeks, but within the VA Program, they held their own against the machismo of the soldier groups. This self-confidence among the "Supergeeks of SRD," as Afrida's group often referred to themselves, was bolstered by the fact that they had the incredibly attractive Afrida Erasmus as their manager. Pentagon brass who visited the VA Program always wanted to see the SRD group, watch them in action, so to speak. The visitors were always floored with disbelief when they met the goddess general/manager of SRD. To them, Afrida was a walking contradiction, because she was too beautiful to be so brilliant.

General Afrida also seemed like a contradiction because of the stark differences between her and her staff. Even in her Army uniform, Afrida looked ready to walk a runway. Yet she managed a team of people whose pants and shirts were invariably too tight or too baggy. Their hair, glasses, civilian clothes … their entire way of being, was decidedly unfashionable and about utilitarian practicality. Some staff in other departments sometimes assumed that Afrida had tried, but failed, to get her band of Supergeeks to be more fashionable, get a better haircut, or learn some social skills.

In truth, Afrida never considered doing anything to change her staff members. She thought them to be perfect just the way they were. She could, of course, see inside of them. For the most part, they liked who they were, right down to the ink stains on their pockets and the rolled up cuffs on their khaki pants, or corduroy pants in the case of Terripin Curry. They didn't want or need to be changed. They just wanted to be respected and mentored. Afrida was the perfect manager, in this regard. She spent immense amounts of time with her staff, and greatly enjoyed watching them make new scientific discoveries.

Afrida had developed the fine art of asking lots of questions with the goal of eliciting creativity and expanded thinking among her young scientists. The goddess, in fact, knew all the scientific answers already. She also knew scientific answers to questions no one seemed to be asking yet. Afrida's mind was full of secrets regarding time travel, translation of matter, improved core drilling techniques, advanced uses for radiation, and so many other mind boggling subjects. Even without her memory, Afrida somehow knew that it would not be good to release this knowledge too soon. To protect against doing this, Afrida never actually "discovered" very much herself.

Afrida knew that if she pushed the envelope of scientific invention too far, she could inadvertently win the Nobel Prize or end up featured in Time Magazine. The spotlight sought Afrida out. Hers was too great a story to pass up, in large part because of her stunning beauty, which was an unexpected combination with a mind that some who knew her said rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, Einstein or Bohr. Occasionally, someone, often a female Congresswoman who had heard about Afrida through the grapevine, would pay the goddess a visit, urging her to speak to some audience or allow herself to be showcased. Afrida resisted all of these overtures, thankful to be able to cite the top secret nature of the VA Program as the excuse for remaining in the shadows.

General Afrida allowed her staff to dream up an idea, sometimes a creation or concept that appeared utterly impossible to realize. Then she would encourage them, and gradually lead them to how it was possible. The discoveries belonged to her entire team, and not to Afrida.

The goddess's management style engendered much love and respect from her staff. For her part, Afrida never minded and actually desired admiration of her stunning beauty, but she relished the fact that her team of nerdy scientists loved her beautiful mind more than any of her physical attributes. Afrida roamed the confines of her work area, free of the ogling eyes and lewd comments that so often greeted her in other settings. Afrida's entire staff, including her male employees, was more apt to admire her ability to find continuous new applications of the Fibonacci sequence than to stare at her breasts or gaze dreamily into her eyes.

Afrida was the undisputed coolest manager in the VA Program. Not only was she stunningly beautiful and mind bogglingly brilliant, she was also the least rules-oriented of all seven managers. She allowed her staff to wear civilian clothes to work, provided that they keep a uniform on hand in case of emergencies. She always wore her uniform, but believed that her staff's creativity was fostered by comfortable clothing. She allowed her staff to adorn their work stations with whatever personal effects they wanted to bring in provided that nothing violated the sexual harassment or other policies. She allowed breaks to play video and other games. Afrida believed all of these pleasures spurred creativity and made the work environment more pleasant. It was not surprising that staff from other groups often came to Afrida's group just to soak up the atmosphere.

Afrida also was decidedly unconventional when it came to fraternization in the workplace. Afrida fully approved of love connections and sex at work. Employees spent long hours at work, which was therefore the most obvious choice for finding a mate, or at least sex. Accordingly, the Goddess of Love facilitated any and all pairings within her team from the moment she sensed there was a mutual attraction. Afrida had perfected the art of assigning two staff members who secretly liked each other to collaborate on a project. She took staff members out to lunch in small groups, selecting attendees based on what she knew about their secret attractions. Some staff had their own romantic situations outside of work. But thus far, Afrida had facilitated the hooking up of every unattached person on her team who wanted to hook up with someone else on her team. Afrida took great satisfaction from the fact that her team of Supergeeks fucked more per capita than any of the other groups.

The one exception that was ruining the Goddess of Love's perfect track record was Terripin Curry, the incredibly brilliant but absolutely obnoxious Weretortoise from hell. Terri graduated first in his class from MIT. He majored in three disciplines – astrophysics, biochemistry and mathematics. He was an undisputed genius who had contributed significantly to every invention of the VA Program. Terri was "the shit" and he knew it. Accordingly, he was the bane of everyone else's existence because of his arrogance and the underhanded crap he did to other people.

Afrida had detected a deep underlying attraction within Terri for the other Weretortoise on the team, a slender, quite attractive but slightly awkward woman named Terrapin Harris. Terra had also graduated first in her class from MIT two years after Terri graduated. She was just as brilliant and as great a contributor to VA Program successes as Terri. However, unlike Terri, Terra wasn't obnoxious and was well liked by her team.

Terri didn't know this, but Terra liked almost all the things Terri liked; and she was incredibly attracted to him, mostly because of his utter brilliance. But Afrida made the decision to move forward with matchmaking when she caught glimpses of mutual sexual fantasies floating around in both Terra and Terri's minds. She had tried several things, including coordinated lunches, collaborative work projects and subtle suggestions regarding common interests. All of these efforts had inched Terri and Terra closer, but god tortoises moved fucking slow when it came to falling in love.

Afrida could see that her team was as invested in this pairing of Terri and Terra as she was. Several people, Afrida included, believed that much of Terri's obnoxiousness would dissipate if he would just get laid already. However, Terri loved too many things, including role playing games like World of Warcraft, Pokemon, zombies and strategy board games. But at the top of Terri's list of beloved things was Ben, a real tortoise that Terri kept as a pet; although the term "pet" seemed insufficient to capture the level of Terri's … fixation when it came to Ben.

The name "Ben" evoked in Afrida images of the movie of the same name about a boy with an unusual fixated friendship with a rat. The Michael Jackson song often played in Afrida's mind when she watched Terri doting over his pet tortoise. Afrida was convinced that the path to Terra's hookup with Terri was being perpetually blocked by Ben.

Afrida would sometimes muse that Terri would be happier in the long run if Ben weren't around. He would be well on his way to dating and sexing Terra instead of talking to his pet tortoise. Given her ability to sometimes, mysteriously, be able to "wish" things into existence, Afrida was going to be feeling guilty over the coming days. Starting now.

Afrida had just entered her work area when her path to her office was interrupted by Terri, wearing his blue corduroy pants (Afrida hated blue corduroy pants day – otherwise known as Wednesday) and too-tight white shirt complete with ink stains. His brown hair, normally combed too much from back to front, was standing on top of his head due to the frantic teasing by agitated fingers.

Terri yelled at the top of his lungs, "General Afridaaaaaaa!"

Terri had no ability to calibrate, especially when he was upset. Being a Weretortoise, Terri wasn't the most excitable person. He was usually a calm asshole, except when someone messed with something he really cared about, like his World of Warcraft collectibles, his Pokemon cards, or his custom set of zombie board games. Today, someone had dared to mess with the one thing Terri loved the most.

Afrida walked past Terri and headed for her office. She wasn't stopping to give Terri encouragement to tell her about the umpteenth altercation he had just had with a team member. Afrida knew that almost all such altercations were instigated by Terri. She said, "Terri, when I say my office door is always open, everyone knows I'm lying. Why don't you?"

Terri continued to follow Afrida, as she knew he would. Afrida loved that Terri was impervious to insult, mostly because he was obnoxious and routinely insulted others. Afrida amused herself with little jibes that went over Terri's head or that he ignored.

Terri screamed, "This is important. This is wrong. This is important. This is wrong. This is important! This is wrong! This is-"

Afrida interrupted Terri. He was in a thought loop and escalating fast. If she didn't interject, Terri would say these two sentences over and over in intensifying fashion for thirty straight minutes, until he was literally screaming at the top of his lungs.

Afrida overrode Terri's screaming loop and said, "Terri, I need you to calm down. What is important and wrong?"

Terri was still looping, "This is important! This is wrong! This is important!"

Afrida yelled, "Terri, just say it, damnit!" Everyone in the work area was watching now.

Terri was silent from a few seconds, then screamed, "Someone took Ben. Someone took Ben. Someone took Ben. Someone took Bennnnnnnnnn!"

Afrida took a deep breath, then calmly said, "Okay, Terri. Didn't someone take your Pokemon cards last week, but they eventually gave them back? I'm sure Ben is here somewhere. He's fine."

Terri lost it. "I don't want Ben to be fucking _somewhere. _I want Ben back. Nooooooowwwww!"

Terri then turned and faced his team members. He screamed, "What did you fuckers do with Ben? I'm gonna burn you all alive if you don't give me Ben. Nooowwwww!"

Somebody yelled out, "Dude, you need a hurt feelings report?"

Terri screamed, "I'm going to fuck up all of you motherfuckers, right fucking now! I hate all of you fuckers! Where's Bennnnnnnnnn!"

Afrida grabbed Terri, who was much smaller than the goddess. She cupped his mouth with one hand and caressed his forehead with the other. This eventually calmed Terri down so that he was just seething and not screaming. She groaned internally, because she knew no work was going to get done until they found Ben.

Afrida calmly addressed her team, all the while holding Terri in place. "Look, I'm only saying this one time. I'm giving everyone the rest of the day to work from home or in other parts of the base. Terri, you and Terra go to the FGR and play World of Warcraft or something. To whoever took Ben, I need him back. Now. You can feel free to return him while everyone is out of our work area. I won't ask any questions. Just put him back. He needs to be back in his tub by 6:00 pm today. I mean it."

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Helena Briefly Talks to M_**

Helena hung up the phone after speaking with Afrida. She felt a weird mixture of love, sadness, fear and hope. She felt so much love for her wife, and she was sad about Afrida's hurt and confusion. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to articulate why she was doing what she was doing, and that she would keep hurting Afrida. But she was hopeful because of the things Afrida told her M said to her.

M had promised Afrida they would be a family, and assured her that Helena's actions were motivated by love. Given how angry M was at her last night, the last thing Helena expected was for MacArthur to be so … supportive. Helena felt M's words were a message to her, just as much as they were to Afrida. To Helena, M's words reassured that he was committed to Helena as his spouse, and that he trusted her completely, even if he didn't understand everything she was doing right now. _Or everything she had done._

Helena dialed M. He picked up and said, "Hello. How did it go?"

Helena gave M roughly the same synopsis she gave to Afrida about Rachel Sullivan's interviews. Then she said, "Afrida told me you told her we will be a family forever, and that you know I'm doing what I'm doing out of love. I just wanted to tell you _thank you, _MacArthur."

M replied, "There's nothing to thank me for, Helena. I simply said what I believe."

Helena thought for a moment, then said, "Well, after … everything, it means a lot to me that you believe those things."

M quickly said, "I do."

The born soldier had been talking about feelings and crying a lot lately. He needed a break from it, so he changed the subject. He said, "I spoke to your favorite alpha tiger today. We're going to spend some father and son time tomorrow afternoon."

Helena sighed, "That sounds nice. How angry is he with me?"

M answered diplomatically. "You're not his favorite Mother right now. But he'll be fine. He's especially upset about the naping of his neck, just so you know."

Helena sighed again. She asked, "Maybe I should find him."

M considered, then said, "Hmm, maybe not right now. He said he wanted to have a bit of time alone. Let him have it. He's strolling the desert working out the _Blade Runner_ riddle. Maybe call him, but don't go out there."

Helena wanted to go to Quinn, but said, "Okay."

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Quinn Works Through the Blade Runner Riddle Over Lunch_**

Although she professed a dislike of them, Helena knew how to tell a few technical truths. As she promised M, she didn't go out into the desert to find Quinn. But she did go to the control tower, the same tower where the Werewolves Elizabeth and Liza had stationed themselves during yesterday's unplanned desert field test starring Helena and Afrida.

There were no field tests going on now, so the tower was unmanned. Helena stood alone in the tower control room, which gave a 360 degree view of the desert. She scanned the desert until she caught sight of Quinn. He was standing alone right next to the covered bleachers where the generals had been sitting during the field test.

Helena watched her son for a moment. She could see him clearly when he wasn't under the covered canopy. She saw him fiddling with something that she had glimpsed him place on one of the bleachers. _A brown container or box, maybe? _It was now hidden too far under the canopy, but she assumed it was his lunch.

It suddenly occurred to the alpha wolf that today she had her first real argument with her son. Somehow, she just knew there were more arguments to come with the alpha tiger. Helena took a deep breath and dialed her son.

**# # # # #**

Alpha Tiger Quinn rested his cardboard box on the bleacher seat and stood staring at it, anticipating and congratulating himself on creating schadenfreude for so many deserving others. Quinn relished his own revenge, but he knew that there were many who loathed the owner of the contents of his little cardboard box, and that they would take great pleasure in his hurt and pain. Quinn smiled as the box moved slightly. Then his cell phone rang. It was his Mother. He contemplated ignoring her, then he concentrated and felt her sensing … watching him.

He looked around and answered, "Hello, Mother."

To Helena, Quinn sounded distant. She said, "Hi, Quinn."

There were several seconds of silence. Then Helena said, "Quinn, I'm sorry about how I blew up at you this morning. You peed in the apartment and you needed to clean it up, but I'm sorry for breaking your arm. And I'm really sorry for holding you up by the neck. I wasn't trying to treat you like a cub."

Helena remembered M's complaint that she never apologized or admitted she was wrong. Since this was a day in which she was praised for growth, she tried to live up to that and do a bit of mea culpa with Quinn.

To Helena's surprise, Quinn suddenly sounded effusive. "No worries, Mother. Really. I'm sorry that I pulled that peeing stunt, especially when you have such a busy week going on. And this morning, of all mornings. I guess I just wanted some attention from you, and I didn't care that it was negative."

To Helena, Quinn sounded amazingly mature and reflective, especially given how angry and defiant he was this morning. She wanted to attribute his sudden maturity to her son's talk with M, but Jenna Wellington's lessons about male cats was in the back of her mind. She couldn't discount that this was artifice and not sincerity.

Quinn went on, "I'm sorry about the lying. It won't happen again."

Helena was amazed at how suddenly contrite Quinn was being. She changed the subject. "You know, Quinn. I told you that my favorite superhero was Jean Grey, but I think I'm back to Wonder Woman. Jean Grey arguably had the greatest powers, maybe greater than any superhero, but I have to discount her powers considerably because she couldn't control them. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, had absolute control over all of her abilities. I think that gives the Amazon an advantage in any fight. I say all that to say I want my custom pajamas you wanted to buy me be Wonder Womans and not Jean Greys. That is, if it's not too late to change my mind."

Helena was sincere about changing her mind and choosing Wonder Woman over Jean Grey, but she was also testing the waters of dialogue with Quinn. To Helena's surprise, Quinn remarked, "It's not too late for you to pick Wonder Woman after picking her and discarding her two times already. Do anything you've a mind to. Bein' a woman, you will."

Helena frowned at the statement. It sounded surprisingly sexist, which immediately brought to mind Jenna Wellington's observation that all male cats are misogynistic. Helena objected, sounding a little edgy, "What are you saying, Quinn? Are you suggesting that only women change their minds? Did you get that bullshit about women from Dodson? Because you know that's not right…"

Quinn calmly interrupted, "Mother, relax. It's a line from the movie _Psycho_. I was watching it last night, remember? It's from the scene when Janet Leigh goes to buy the car so she can escape town with the 40,000 dollars she stole. The owner of the car dealership says she'll do anything she has a mind to do when she tells him she wants to change cars because she doesn't like the color of her old car. I thought you were quotable. I didn't mean to appear offensive."

Helena calmed down and instantly felt a little silly for snapping at Quinn. "I'm sorry. I do remember that line now. I just want … I know things are changing for you, Quinn. I'm going to be there for you. I just want … I want us to remain … friends. Through this. I want us to remain friends."

Quinn smiled into the phone and said in a deep bass voice that also sounded kind of like Anthony Perkins, "Well, that goes without saying. A boy's best friend is his mother."

Helena smiled, until she realized Quinn might not be sincere. He was still quoting _Psycho._ She asked, "Quinn, I know you're quoting the movie, but I hope you mean that you want us to be friends."

Quinn replied effervescently, "Yes, Mother. Of course."

Quinn paused, then in a voice different from his own, he exclaimed, "He's a transvestite!"

Then Quinn, in a new different voice, replied, "Ah, not exactly. A man who dresses in women's clothing in order to achieve a sexual change, or satisfaction, is a transvestite. But in Norman's case, he was simply doing everything possible to keep alive the illusion of his mother being alive. And when reality came too close, when danger or desire threatened that illusion - he dressed up, even to a cheap wig he bought. He'd walk about the house, sit in her chair, speak in her voice. He tried to be his mother! And, uh... now he is. You see, when the mind houses two personalities, there's always a conflict, a battle. In Norman's case, the battle is over... and the dominant personality has won."

Helena felt uneasy. She was pretty sure the lines Quinn was quoting weren't random. She hated subterfuge. She tried being direct. "Quinn, it sounds like, despite what you said earlier, you're still angry with me about this morning. If you are, then we should talk about it in a straightforward way."

Quinn replied, still sounding pleasant, "Uh-uh, Mother-m-mother, uh, what is the phrase? You weren't quite yourself today. It's not like you are a maniac or a raving thing, Mother. You just go a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. I ask myself, haven't I? And I replied to myself, yes. Sometimes just one time can be enough."

Helena was increasingly frustrated with Quinn's quoting the movie _Psycho_. She had to remind herself that she had called with the express purpose of making up with Quinn. Screaming at him for bullshit movie quoting would basically undo the apology, and put the two of them back to square one. Besides, Quinn wasn't really being unpleasant. He was actually being … too pleasant. It reeked of insincerity, but she couldn't be sure.

Helena decided to just go with it, search for the positive. That is what she had learned to do with Brad Baxter, maybe it would work with her alpha tiger son. She said, "That was very good, Quinn. Your voice sounded just like Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. And Quinn, you just improvised. I'm so proud of you. You've never done that before."

Quinn asked, "Really. What do you mean when you say that I just improvised? _Lies. He already knew what improvisation was._

Helena answered, "It's when you take lines from a movie and apply them to us, but leave enough of the original such that I can recognize the quotes as being from the movie."

Quinn sounded very surprised, "Wow. Huh? I didn't realize that's what I was doing. Very interesting." _More lies. He knew full well what he was doing, and he didn't find it particularly interesting._

Alpha tiger Quinn further mused, "Well, that's just …. Haha. How could Psycho ever have any application to you and me, Mother? We're just wonderful, you and I. You love me and I love you." _Lies, lies and more glorious lies. Quinn in fact thought the film had amazing relevance to him and his bitch mother. And though he loved her on a deep level, at the moment, the surface of him hated her guts. He planned to think of ways to act out that hatred as he sat on the field test bleachers enjoying his box lunch._

Quinn wound down the conversation, "Thanks for calling me, Mother. I appreciate you apologizing to me, which I didn't think you would do. I'm especially glad that you seem to understand why I didn't like being naped by my neck like a tiger cub. And again, I'm sorry for peeing the house and lying about it. You and I are friends. We're going to be fine. Just fine." _After I fuck you up a few times, of course._

Helena smiled when she heard this and said, "I'm glad, Quinn. I want us to be fine."

Quinn said, "Listen, it's getting late and I haven't had lunch yet; and I still need to finish that report for General M. I just want a little meditation time, if that's alright, Mother?"

Helena didn't want Quinn to go, but she casually said, "Yes, Quinn. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

Quinn faced the tower, where he sensed his mother was standing, watching him. He smiled a wide Cheshire grin, in case his Mother could see him. She could. "I love you, too. Goodbye."

Quinn kept the smile wide until he turned his back to the tower, then it instantly disappeared and transformed into a scowl. He regarded the cardboard box and waited for his Mother to stop watching him. He felt her eyes on him and sent a wave of distress through the Were bond, indicating to her that watching him wasn't the same as letting him have some private time. _Fucking women._

Quinn passed the time waiting for his Mother to leave him alone with another improvised quote from _Psycho. "_She knows I can't move a finger, and I won't. I'll just stand here and be quiet, just in case she does ... suspect me. She's probably watching me. Well, let her. Let her see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat hurt that snake."

Quinn regarded a coral snake as it passed near his foot. He touched it and the snake bit into his leg. Quinn's eyes glowed orange. He released a tiny fairy blast from his left hand, which fried the snake. It curled up as it cooked from the heat emanating from Quinn's fingers.

Quinn continued, "I hope she is watching... she'll see. She'll see and she'll know, and she'll say, "Why, Quinn wouldn't even harm a snake..."

Quinn thought for a moment then mused out loud to himself, "Hmm, somehow that doesn't convey quite the same meaning as 'she wouldn't harm a fly.' Oh well."

Helena felt her son's agitation, caused by her watching him. She left the tower, leaving him totally alone in the desert. Finally.

When Quinn felt his mother leave the tower, he turned to his cardboard box. He channeled his best Brad Pitt from the movie _Se7en_ and pleaded, "What's in the box? Nooooo. What's in the boxxxxxx? What's in the fuckin' box?"

Quinn picked up the box and rested it on the desert sand. He answered his own question as he pulled back the cardboard flaps. "No need to get all excited. I'll tell you what's in the box. Ben … is in the box."

Quinn reached into the box and easily lifted out Terri Curry's thirty pound pet tortoise, Ben. He kneeled and regarded Ben for a moment, then quoted the _Blade Runner_ riddle. "You're in a desert, walking along in the sand when all of a sudden you look down and see a tortoise. It's crawling toward you. You reach down and flip the tortoise on its back."

Quinn turned Ben over on his back. He then continued the riddle, "The tortoise lays on its back, it's belly baking in the hot sun. It's beating its legs trying to turn over but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that, Quinn?"

Quinn stood and regarded Ben, who was indeed beating its legs and trying to turn over. And yes, Ben's belly was indeed baking in the hot sun. But not fast enough. Quinn released a slow blast of fairy light directly onto Ben's belly, which sped up the baking process. Just then his phone rang. He looked at it and smiled. _Kara._

Quinn answered, "Hello?"

Kara's delightful voice said, "Hi Quinn. I hope I'm not bothering you."

Quinn answered easily and sweetly, "I'm just doing some research and eating my lunch. You're never bothering me, Kara."

Kara blushed through the phone, as she said, "Well, I was sorry I had to leave you this morning."

Kara paused. She wasn't sure what else to say. But Tiger Quinn was not at a loss for words. He intoned in that rich voice that made Kara swoon, "I'm sorry you had to leave, too. But I know that keeping that appointment with my mother was important." _Lies. I didn't give a shit about you making my mother's bullshit Sullivan interview._

Quinn continued, "I've been thinking, Kara. Actually, I've been thinking about you, a lot. I can't stop thinking about you." _Not a lie, but not a fully disclosed truth. I've been thinking about you gyrating on my dick like Destiny the stripper all day. In fact, I'm thinking about you grinding on me right now as we speak._

Kara couldn't catch her breath, but eventually she managed to ask, "Y-you have?"

Quinn smiled into the phone, "Yes. And I don't want to wait until Saturday to see you. What are you doing tonight? Tomorrow? Tomorrow night? All three?" Quinn Tiger laughed, sounding a bit embarrassed by his own desperation to see Kara. _More lies. Quinn wasn't embarrassed. Rather, he wanted to convey that he was embarrassed so that Kara would view him as sweet and a little awkward, which would make her more comfortable with him._

Kara sounded breathy and excited at how open Quinn was being about wanting to see her. She let out a groan that made Quinn's dick jump. "Ohhhhhh. Gosh, Quinn. I want to see you before Saturday, too. But, I'm busy for the rest of the day and tomorrow. And my family is in town for my birthday weekend. I have to do stuff with them tonight and tomorrow night. It's kind of important because I'm the heir to the throne, so to speak."

Quinn frowned into the phone, but his voice gave none of his displeasure away. Instead, he sounded like a wounded tiger cub when he said, "That's okay. I understand. If you don't want me, I understand." _More lies. Quinn knew that Kara wanted him._

Kara sounded like she felt bad for hurting poor tiger Quinn. She pleaded a little, "Quinn, stop it. It's not like that. I have to do this. It's a family thing."

Quinn could hear Kara thinking. He kept quiet. Quinn passed the time by cooking Ben with a fairy blast.

After a few seconds, Kara said, "Friday. We could spend a lot of the day together on Friday. We can have lunch on Friday in the cafeteria. I always eat with Jenna and our other friends. And then on Friday night my cohort … my sister-cousins and other members of my pride that are my age, and a few friends … we're going out dancing for my birthday. It's kinda a family thing but you could come with us."

Tiger Quinn sounded a little happier when he said, "That sounds like fun. I want to be with you as much as possible, even if it's as part of a group. As long as …"

Quinn paused deliberately. He knew Kara would ask, "As long as what?"

Quinn sounded like it was hard for him to say, "Uhm, as long as we can spend some time, just the two of us, on Saturday."

Kara stammered at the thought that Quinn Blake wanted to be alone with her. "O-okay. Y'yes. We can be together on Saturday, just the two of us. You can come by my family's residence. It's huge. Even though my family is big, there are plenty of places where we can be alone. We could talk, just the two of us."

Quinn smiled. "I'd like us to have time alone to … talk." _More lies. Quinn wasn't interested in talking at all. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do with Kara, but he was absolutely sure it wasn't talking. He knew what he wanted had something to do with Kara's breasts, the rest of her body and that delightful throbbing vein in her neck. He planned to have his android mind begin Google searches to help him figure out what he wanted to do with Kara while he enjoyed his snake tortoise lunch._

Kara added, "We could be together on Sunday, too. If you don't mind going to church with me, that is?"

Quinn asked, "Church?"

Kara explained, "Yes, I go to two churches. I sometimes go to Cat Church, which is on the Upper East Side, near where I live. And lately I've been going to Catholic Church with my Aunt Constance and her family. It's in Spanish Harlem and its presided over by a vampire priest, so services are always after sundown. Sometimes I go to both churches, since the service times don't overlap."

Quinn asked, "A vampire priest?"

Kara objected, "Vampires can be religious, too, you know."

Quinn admitted, "I never thought about it. But I'll go anywhere, as long as I can be with you, Kara."

Kara was taken aback yet again by the unusually expressive Tiger Quinn. "You? You mean that?"

Quinn deep bass intoned, "Yes, I do. I … want you."

Silence. Lots of silence. Quinn might have thought Kara died, but he heard her breathing. Quinn broke the silence. "Anyway. This sounds like we're going to have a really fun weekend. I can't wait for us to be alone on Saturday. I want to ask you something, but we need to be alone."

Kara, as expected, questioned, "Ask me what?"

Tiger Quinn wasn't telling. "Noooo. I can't tell you now."

Kara pleaded a little, "Quinn, it's going to drive me crazy until then. Just ask me."

Tiger Quinn was in charge, and not budging. "Nooo, patience is a virtue. I should know. I've been patient for almost three quarters of a century."

Kara was really pleading now. "Noooo, pleeeeeease. You're torturing me, Quinn."

Tiger Quinn wasn't like his beta wolf father. A woman's pleading didn't move him in the least. "Pullease. I haven't even started torturing you. Just you wait."

There was the silence again. Quinn knew Kara hadn't necessarily given up on trying to find out what he was going to ask her. She was plotting another approach. _Fucking women._

Kara appeared to change the subject. She said, "Well fine, if you won't tell me. I'm just … I'm glad you sound better. You seemed angry, or down, when I first saw you this morning."

Tiger Quinn decided to share his feelings. He whispered sadly, "You were right. I was kind of upset. I had a really bad fight with my mother this morning. I'm fine. Well … not really. That's why I'm just taking a little time for myself right now." _Lies, lies and more glorious lies. Quinn wasn't sharing his real feelings at all. He didn't give a shit about this morning's fight with his bitch mother right now. He was just thinking about Kara. He was also perfectly fine, and he didn't need alone time. He wanted alone time so that he could privately torture and eat cooter fuck Terri's pet tortoise as payback to the little bastard for taking his Skittles._

Tiger Quinn had gotten a head start on his Google searches. He wanted to understand his impulses toward Kara, and he was confident that once he found the right first search term, that hit would lead him into a loop of related websites.

Prompted by Kara's pleas that Quinn was torturing her, and the response the plea elicited throughout his body, and especially in his nether regions, Quinn's android mind did a simple search: _"girl boy torture me."_

This simple Google search unleashed a flood of interesting images and videos. Quinn's eyes widened as he took in videos with titles like, "tortured and fucked hard," "real vampire fuck videos free," "real porn tortured and fucked." The list of websites seemed endless. Suddenly, Quinn's vampire, maenad, fairy and tiger babies understood exactly what they wanted from Kara.

_Quinn's mind looped the same image of his sweet, beautiful Kara dancing on his lap. But thanks to the many internet videos he had just discovered, he could now picture her perfectly proportioned breasts and both her imaginary nipples were in the right place. Fantasy Quinn squeezed fantasy Kara's breasts a little too hard, then suddenly yanked off fantasy Kara's black lacy underwear. Vampire Quinn unmercifully sank his fangs into that delicious throbbing vein in her neck. When fantasy Kara resisted and tried to pull away, fantasy Quinn gripped her by the neck and squeezed. Tight enough to strangle._

Kara asked, sounding genuinely caring and concerned, "I'm sorry, Quinn. Is there something I can do to make you feel better."

Tiger Quinn replied, "Yes, I think there's a lot you can do to make me feel better, Kara. A whole lot."

Kara and Quinn said their goodbyes. Kara, being the considerate person she was, wanted to give Quinn his alone time, even though she could have talked to him for the rest of the day. Quinn wished more of the women in his life were considerate and not pushy, like Kara. He looked down at Ben, who was no longer moving.

Quinn stood and retrieved the coral snake he had cooked earlier. He brought it over to Ben and sat back down in the sand. Quinn reached down and ripped open Ben's thick shell, exposing the cooked meat inside. Quinn picked at the tender flesh of Ben's exposed and baked underbelly and ate it. Occasionally, he picked off some flesh from the coral snake to add a bit of variety to his lunch.

Quinn ate his lunch, ran Google searches and thought about Kara. The more websites he visited, the more ideas he was able to conjure up. Soon, Tiger Quinn's brilliant android mind had gathered enough knowledge and video inspiration to begin improvising his own fucking and torturing fantasies.

Quinn frowned as he finished eating Ben and the coral snake. This was an okay lunch, but kind of boring. He wanted something nicer to eat. Something with lots of delicious blood running through its veins. Something that screamed when it felt pain.

Tiger Quinn's thoughts turned to Kara, the stunningly beautiful lioness, so sweet and innocent, who looked and smelled just like his mother. He smiled and said out loud in his brand new, deep bass, sexy tiger voice, "Oh, Kara. I've got such sights to show you."

* * *

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Autumn turns to winter,  
And then winter turns to spring.  
It's not just for seasons you know,  
It goes for everything.

It's even true for voices,  
When boys begin to grow.  
You gotta take a lesson from Mother Nature,  
And if you do you'll know.

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

Day by day, it's hard to see the changes you've been through  
A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you  
Every boy's a man inside, a girl's a woman too  
And if you wanna reach your destiny, here's what you've got to do

When it's time to change, then its time to change  
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see  
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange  
Who you are into what you're gonna be.

Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na  
Sha na na, na na na na na na,

Sha na na na na

**Ending Scene Song: ****_Time to Change _****by The Brady Bunch**

**Credits Song:****_ Planet Earth _****by Duran Duran**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies and other media quoted in this chapter include _Richard Pryor Live in Concert (1979), Dolomite, Blade Runner,_ _Psycho, Se7en,_ and_ Hellbound: Hellraiser II._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Time To Change_ by The Brady Bunch and _Planet Earth_ byDuran Duran.

(3) Rachel Sullivan is not popular as the HR Director of the VA Program, but the woman is absolutely right to be concerned about love among employees who work together for long stretches at a time. For example, any movie star's spouse who wants to keep his or her marriage intact had better camp out on the set during filming. Trysts that turn into full blown affairs are common on film sets.

Things take an especially weird turn when the actors involved play brother and sister on the show. This sibling love brought off screen and into the bedroom includes Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) and Barry Williams (Greg Brady). I've been scarred ever since reading book reviews of McCormick's memoir, in which she confesses to snorting cocaine and sexing her TV brother. I try to look at old episodes of the _Brady Bunch_, but I just can't. I can't. My eyes.

The brother sister love also included Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter and his TV show sister Deb), who took their off screen sexing to the altar and got married. They divorced less than three years later. But ironically, Deb just confessed she loves her brother Dexter on the show. Life imitates art, and vice versa, apparently.

On screen couples taken into the real world also include _True Blood's_ own Anna Paquin and Steven Moyer, of course. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman who met during casting of _Days of Thunder in_ 1989. David Arquette and Courtney Cox met while filming _Scream_. Ben Affleck seems to like new love; Gwyneth Paltrow in _Bounce_; Jennifer Lopez in _Gigli_, and Jennifer Garner in _Daredevil_. Jennifer Garner snagged him. I always knew Elecktra was fierce. And then there's the infamous hook up of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie during the filming of _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_. Poor Jennifer Aniston still hasn't recovered. There's Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones in _Traffic. _And Warren Beatty and Annette Benning in _Bugsy_. And Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke in _Gattaca_. Those are just a few of the many. So if you're looking for love and you work long hours, try looking around you for that special someone. Odds are they work with you. Just be careful not to run afoul of your own Rachel Sullivan.


	13. Dangerous 1 - Helena and Afrida

**Epic Love Story – A Pam and Tara Novel**

**Chapter 13: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 1**

(An Explosive Interlude Between Afrida and Helena, aka Dangerous Damaged Diamonds)

**_Author's Notes:_** Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story. To each and every one of you, I wish for you nothing but good times and noodle salad!

* * *

**Full Disclosure: ** I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. A key concept that is explored in this novel over and over is that what something looks like on the surface has nothing to do with what it really is. The very way that this novel is written illustrates this theme. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case.

This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which include this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. **However, in my opinion as the author, every single PE chapter is _about _Pam and Tara. Moreover, when we get to the actual Pam and Tara chapters, you will see that you have been reading about Pam and Tara the entire time, in every single prequel chapter. I am delighted that some readers already see this. Understanding that not everyone will see that or want to invest the time to realize that payoff, I am giving this upfront disclosure so that the reader can decide whether they want to invest in the prequel chapters, or any of this novel. If you only want to read chapters that feature the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

This chapter is in eight parts, and it's all about dangerous women who will feature significantly in this Epic Love Story. Like Pam and Tara, these women are dangerous because they've been damaged by someone or something. But underneath all this damaged dangerousness, they are diamonds. Or to paraphrase The Man From Dallas, their crumbling edifices conceal the Taj Mahal. Personally, I have a special place in my heart for strong, somewhat dangerous women. They make history and blaze trails for all of us. By the time you finish all the parts of this chapter, you will know one or two really nice surprises. But I'm not telling.

I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

Disclaimer: I don't have a vendetta against Skittles, so please don't come after me if that's your favorite sugary treat.

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Trigger Warning: This chapter contains brief images and descriptions of non-consensual sex.**

* * *

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

General Afrida sat at her desk in her office at the Sonoran, Arizona Army base's Scientific Research and Development (SRD) Department, Work Area 3. She gazed absently out of the window of her internal office. She could see her entire expansive and empty work area, which she had cleared out in the hopes that the culprit who took Ben, Terri Curry's pet tortoise, would have a heart or a conscience, or at least some mercy on Afrida and the rest of her team. She wished for Ben to be returned to his tub by his kidnapper, but the goddess found that her powers of wishful thinking were woefully deficient at the moment. Ben's little tortoise haven, which was filled with rocks, various flora, toys and a makeshift stream, looked painfully desolate as it quietly resided next to Terri's work station.

Afrida had sent Terri Curry off to play video games with the other Weretortoise on her team, Terra Harris, in hopes that Ben would be back by the time he returned. And Afrida knew that Terripin Curry, her single-minded, vigilant little Weretortoise was going to return. Soon. And when he did there would be hell to pay if Ben wasn't back in his tub. As the time fast approached the end of the work day, she hoped desperately for the return of the missing tortoise. The blonde scientist jumped slightly whenever she heard footsteps come promisingly close to the main doorway of the SRD work area. But each of those footsteps proved to be false hopes, as the walker proceeded down the hallway.

Afrida frowned, as she contemplated both Ben's kidnapping and the likely suspects. The problem, she realized with some dismay, was that Terri Curry had too many enemies. Or perhaps enemies was too strong a word. Terri had definitely had major disagreements and run-ins with every member of the SRD staff. He was arrogant, abrasive, opinionated and dismissive, to name just a few of his wonderful qualities. Terri was even pushy and occasionally rude to Terra Harris, despite the fact that he was quite attracted to her and thought she was one of the few people with capabilities on par with his utter brilliance.

Yet, Afrida still thought the kidnapping of Ben was a little strange. Her SRD team, for the most part, didn't care for anything more than a couple of hours of generally good-natured mischief. Yes, someone had taken Terri's Pokemon cards. But, as it turned out, they hadn't really taken them, but rather hidden them in plain view on another table in the work area.

And yes, someone had crank called Terri pretending to be a sweepstakes that was awarding him an all-expenses paid trip to the San Diego Comic-Con Expo. That one was a little painful, but the guilty party came forward and confessed soon after being publicly admonished by Afrida. And it wasn't really that harmful, since Terri went to San Diego Comic-Con every year with his mother. Terri's mother made a point of going with her sons to Comic-Con ever since she caught the talk show host Chelsea Letterman de-virginizing their eldest son, Torrypin, in a rough, S&M-type fuck session.

The more Afrida thought about it, the more difficult she found it to attribute such a deliberately torturous action to anyone on her staff. Every single staff member knew how much Terri loved Ben. For the most part no one went near Ben's tub. And touching, let alone picking up Ben, was not something Afrida had ever seen someone dare to do, mostly because they knew Terri would do them grave physical harm if they did.

**_# # # # # _**

**_General Hobbes Makes Afrida an Offer She Can't Refuse_**

Afrida was jarred from her thoughts by her office phone. Someone was dialing her personal internal line, and not the main line to the Sonoran Army base. She noted that she didn't recognize the number, but answered anyway.

"Hello. This is General Erasmus," Afrida said, sounding both formal and questioning in the way that people do when caller i.d. still leaves them deficient of vital information about who's bothering them on the phone.

A warm, familiar voice responded, "General Afrida, I'm so glad you answered. Given that this is my first time calling you, on your direct line no less, I worried you might not pick up. That is, if you were even there. This is …"

Afrida interrupted, "General Hobbes. Adam. I remember your voice perfectly." Afrida smiled into the phone. She had detected goodness in Hobbes's heart when they spoke after the field test, and she genuinely liked him very much.

"Now, now. You're just spoiling an old general, making me feel all memorable after just one meeting." Afrida could feel the warmth of General Hobbes's smile coming through the receiver, pleasantly toasting her cheek.

Afrida replied, just as warmly, "Well, that's because you _are_ memorable, Adam. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

General Hobbes easily answered, "Well, consider part one of this call my serious pitch, once again, regarding the offer I made to you when we were in the desert. I meant it … wasn't bullshitting one bit … when I told you I want you to come here to Washington, D.C. and work with me in my office at the Pentagon."

Afrida briefly imagined a fleeting glimpse of herself working with General Hobbes in some swanky office at the Pentagon, then lightly shook it out of her mind. She replied, still smiling, "Adam, I'm very flattered. But I'd have to refuse … _at least for now_. My family is here, and being with them is important to me."

Afrida wasn't sure why she added the part about "not for now." She was hedging, but unsure why she was doing it. Helena's behavior of late was making her feel … unsettled, afraid. Never before had she felt any angst or sense of foreboding about anything having to do with MacArthur or Helena, but she felt it now. And the feelings were all stemming from the strange behavior of her beloved alpha wolf. Afrida continued to feel a bit afraid, despite MacArthur's very persuasive reassurances that everything was going to be fine.

Hobbes interrupted Afrida's thoughts with, "I know. I know. I'm not at all surprised. So table that, but … keep it in the back of your mind. My part two is to ask you to consider the idea of a staff detail. You know what that is, yes?"

"Yes," Afrida slowly replied. "That's when a staff member goes on a temporary assignment to another department, but technically remains employed by his or her original department."

Hobbes affirmed, "Yes, exactly. Staff details are wonderful, completely supported by the federal government as a way to attain new skills, work with new people, alleviate boredom. The government doesn't really care what your reason is, actually. The great thing about details is that you can do them for a week or a year, and you can do them anywhere in the world. The only requirement is that there be an opening in another department to accommodate the detail. And, of course, my department has a standing opening for you to come do a detail with me."

Afrida mused, "Hmm mmm." She knew where this was going.

Hobbes continued. Afrida could hear the mirth in his voice as he made his pitch. "Soooo, if you will not be with me forever and ever, perhaps I can have you for a little while. Hmmm? There is a standing opening for you to do a staff detail in my office for as little or as long as you want. You could be here with me for a week, or any amount of time up to a year. The rules limit details to one year, but we get around that simply by renewing the detail for another year. Since you're adamant that you don't want to marry me, how about we live together so you can see how I am? Try me out before you commit to a marriage, so to speak. You'll learn that I'm extremely neat and I don't snore, too much. You can find out the rest when you get here."

Afrida couldn't help but laugh at Hobbes's cute little flirtations. The old general had a certain pull, which she resisted. She said, allowing the hesitance to come through in her voice, "Hmmm. No snoring, huh? That _is_ a big draw. You make a very tempting offer, Adam. But I'm still going to refuse. _For now."_

There was that hedge again. _For now. _And Afrida had felt the same need to make it the second time around as she did the first time. Hobbes wasn't a well-renowned general for nothing. He was subtle but persistent. He laughed lightly, "Ohhh, I didn't think I would get you to take the keys to my condo just like that." "Buuuuuuut, I can tell this second offer gives you some pause. I'll let you mull it over. And, of course, I'll come back to the subject later."

Afrida laughed and said, "Fair enough, Adam. I really appreciate being wooed, by the way. It's just that-"

Hobbes interrupted, "You don't need to explain anything, Afrida. I've met your beautiful family, remember? I told General M when we were sitting together at that strip club that his family was irreplaceable and special. And that he needed to fight to keep his family together, no matter the cost. I'm not surprised that you would be reticent to leave a situation where you get to spend so much time with your loved ones."

Afrida asked, mostly because she was interested in what Hobbes would say, "Maybe you just have an active imagination, Adam. I'm sure our family looks a lot like many other families. Nothing more remarkable or beautiful than many others."

Without hesitation, Hobbes replied, "I'm an old man, Afrida. Trust me when I say I've seen a lot of things, including families. In a sense your family does look a lot like many, but take a closer look and one sees a kind of … love, and loyalty, and support of each other that is just wonderful. I would say rare and unique. You and General Helena and General M seem like … friends. You would think you'd see more of that between spouses, but surprisingly you don't."

"Hmm," Afrida mused. "It's funny you say that, Adam. We have a family motto, which basically says that we are a family, but first we are friends. And friends don't desert each other, especially when bombs are falling all around them."

Hobbes laughed, "Well, there you have it. Sounds like the perfect motto for a family in which every member is tried and true Army. No wonder you all emanate such loyalty and support of one another."

There was a few seconds of silence. For her part, Afrida considered her family's motto, and the words reminded her again why she shouldn't be afraid about whatever was going on with Helena. She believed again, in that moment, that everything would be okay.

Hobbes spoke up, "Well then, let me get to the third and last part of this call. And this request … I really, seriously need you to say "Yes." It's more of me _drafting_ you than requesting, and my request ultimately comes from the President.

Afrida's eyes widened as she said, "I'm listening, Adam."

Hobbes turned serious as he explained, "We have a … situation. With China. And North Korea. As you probably know, there's been a wave of U.S. companies investing in China. Building manufacturing plants and selling goods into the Asian markets directly from locations in China, Singapore, Taiwan, and so on."

Afrida affirmed, "Yes."

Hobbes continued, "Well, although the Chinese have opened up their markets to foreign businesses considerably, they're not entirely comfortable with the idea. Capitalism in China doesn't look like capitalism in the West. The Chinese government is heavily involved during all phases when a foreign business sets up shop within its borders, especially when the foreigner is a U.S. company. They want to know everything about that business. What it's making. How it's going to sell what it's making. And especially, how many jobs is this business going to create in China."

Afrida followed, "Okay."

Hobbes continued, "There is a very large multinational company. A really well known company. Let's call it "Company X." Company X is a cutting edge technology firm. It's revolutionized everything from organization of electronic information to cell phones to digital mapping and topography. Company X has a major research and development center in China, in Hunan Province."

Afrida asked, "Okay. Why is that a problem?"

Hobbes replied, "It wasn't a problem, until the U.S. government learned that two key pieces of Company X's technology have not only commercial, but military applications. In fact, the military applications are downright frightening and a thousand times more valuable than the commercial uses, and the U.S. Government now has a strong interest in making sure that the Chinese government doesn't get access to this technology."

Afrida asked, "So why doesn't the U.S. government do what it always does? Take the technology and pay the company for its assets?"

Hobbes said, "We did. But there's … a political problem. Company X understands the security risks associated with making the technology in China. However, the company states that not being able to use that technology locally will diminish its manufacturing capabilities. It won't be able to make as much stuff, as efficiently."

Afrida finished, "Which means it won't be doing as much business in China and so it won't be able to provide as many jobs."

Hobbes lit up, pleased with Afrida's understanding. "Precisely. And that creates a major problem. You see, the Chinese government supported Company X. The company tore up roads to build the Company X plant. It took people's homes and farmland. The plant will increase traffic and pollution in the province. Citizens aren't happy with these upheavals, but what appeases them is when the Chinese government tells them all these good things are coming."

Afrida added, "Like increased tax revenues. And jobs."

"Yes," Hobbes agreed. "So the Chinese government feels like the U.S. government came in and interfered with the arrangement between China and Company X. Essentially, China made promises to its people, and the U.S. came in and took away revenue and jobs, which is going to cause the Chinese government to lose face with its citizens in Hunan Province. As you know, saving face is very important in Asian culture."

"I understand that. But how does North Korea fit into all of this?" Afrida asked.

Hobbes paused for a moment, then explained, "Hmm. How to explain. China is the big brother. The big brother has to look mature and civil, even when it's pissed off over being embarrassed by those fucktards across the Pacific. That would be us.

North Korea is the little brother. It doesn't give a fuck about anything except tagging along with and being respected by its big brother. And if big brother just got embarrassed and can't politically do anything about it …"

Afrida finished, "Little brother has no problem pissing in the fucktards' cokes?"

Hobbes agreed, "Precisely. Accordingly, we don't think it's just coincidence that at the very same time that China is pissed with the U.S. government over what we did to Company X, North Korea starts threatening a nuclear missile launch against Japan. We think it's mostly idle threats, but we're a little worried because Kim Jong-Il is sick. He's dying, actually.

North Korea is planning for succession, most likely Jong-Il's son, Kim Jong-eun. Our intelligence says North Korea is about to announce that Jong-eun will be the supreme leader of the military. The son is an unknown, and we don't want him getting the idea that he needs to prove himself, especially at our expense. And as you can imagine, our allies in Japan are freaking the fuck out and telling us to do something."

Afrida asked, "I agree that this all sounds troublesome. But what does it have to do with me? What are you asking me to do?"

Hobbes corrected, "Not me. Not me. I'm making this request on behalf of the President himself. This is an emergency situation. A delegation that includes a team of U.S. scientists, myself, and Senator Lycan of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is making an impromptu visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese officials. We're also going to Company X's offices in Hunan Province."

Afrida was still confused. She asked, "Okay. This sounds like a diplomatic mission. Why are you taking scientists?"

Hobbes, "Excellent question. Because one way to solve this problem is if we can come up with alternative technologies that address the company's expansion needs without putting military secrets into the hands of the Chinese government. Our scientists are good, but none of them are as smart as you."

Afrida confirmed, "So you want me to be a part of the team of scientists that tries to come up with replacement technology, which will allow Company X to do the same amount of business in China, which will in turn keep the same amount of jobs in Hunan Province? Which will allow the Chinese government to keep its promises to its people and save face?"

Hobbes clarified, "Yes. Yes. We want your scientific expertise, but we also want you to participate in the negotiations with the Chinese government. You would be at the bargaining table with the Chinese officials, alongside me and Senator Lycan."

Afrida suspected the answer, but she asked, "Why do you want me to negotiate with the Chinese, Adam? I'm not a diplomat. I'm a scientist."

Hobbes chuckled a little as he said, "No, General Afrida. You are much more than a scientist, and everyone who meets you can see that. You are a born diplomat. You have the perfect mix of skills for this assignment. Yes, you are a brilliant scientist, and I have no doubt you will help us provide a technology solution for Company X.

But you also know how to speak and handle yourself in the most difficult situations. You can handle the most difficult people, and charm the most miserable of assholes, like myself. I know you like to stay behind the scenes, Afrida. But your country needs you. Your President needs you. If we don't smooth this over, it's going to hit the press. Then everyone involved will start posturing, and this will escalate into dangerous territory."

Afrida sighed. How could she refuse her country, and her President? She said, "Alright, Adam. What do I need to do?"

Hobbes, sounding more than a bit elated, said, "N-nothing. Nothing yet. I'll let the President know we have the entire team on board, and I'll start putting together a meeting. I'll need you to be ready to go on short notice, probably next week. I'm thinking Monday or Tuesday we'll leave for Beijing. And if all goes well, you'll be teleporting back to the States two days later."

Afrida said, "Alright, Adam. I'll wait to hear from you, then."

Hobbes said, "Yes. Good. Oh, and you can't tell anyone why you're leaving, not even your family. There is a Tesla Tower near China, in Taipei. Yes?"

Afrida replied, "Not exactly in Tapei, Taiwan. There is a tower on a tiny, uninhabited island just south of Taiwan. Why?"

Hobbes said, "Because that will be the official, stated reason why you're leaving for Asia. You're going to test the Taiwan Tesla tower."

Afrida objected, "General M always does most of the testing. He'll question why I'm making a special trip and going alone."

Hobbes refuted, "No, he won't. He's going to be too busy to go with you, and so will General Helena. And they both know we're under pressure to get this anti-vampire technology up and running as quickly as possible. There isn't time to do everything the way we used to do it. Anyway, I'll take care of all that. You just - "

Afrida interjected, "But, wait. You obviously don't know my family. They won't just accept that I'm leaving for Asia on a moment's notice. It's not like me to just pick up and leave town like that. And lately, when we travel, we travel together, even for work. Helena and M _will_ ask me questions."

Hobbes thought for a moment, then said, "Hmm. Okay. Look. Try to avoid talking about this. It's not like I believe Helena and M can't be trusted; but it's protocol. If you tell one person, then another, pretty soon there's a trail of people saying, 'I'm telling you, but don't tell anyone else or tell anyone I told you.' Just a little of that and something that's top secret isn't anymore. So to avoid sorting all that out, the rule is simple. Don't tell anyone about the assignment, not even your spouses.

Try your best to follow that rule and just say you're going to test the Taiwan Tesla tower. Prep Helena and M now that you'll be leaving next week. If one or the both of them press you for more information, tell them you have been asked to go on a mission and you can't say anything else about it. Tell them it's a matter of national security. Helena and M have both been on these kinds of missions. They should recognize what you're saying to them."

"Okay. Okay, Adam. I understand," Afrida relented.

Hobbes concluded, "Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing and working with you on this, Afrida. I hope it's the first of many assignments we do together. I'll be back in touch soon. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Adam," Afrida said, then hung up the phone.

**_# # # # #_**

**_Helena Visits Afrida_**

Helena strolled purposively down a long white hallway of Work Sector 3, making her way to Afrida's office. She had been passing the time, going through the motions of doing her work ever since she spoke with her wife earlier that day. She couldn't wait to see her. To just … be with her, share her company. Her heart was racing as she neared Afrida's work area. _Calm down and stop it. You're acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. You're just going to say hello to your own wife, you know._

Helena walked into the SRD work area and paused. She had expected to see a hum of activity, and was surprised to see that the work area was empty. Helena didn't have time to process the empty work space, because she heard footsteps and turned to see Afrida. Afrida initially looked … _elated? … hopeful?_ Then the blonde's face turned slightly agitated and somber.

Helena tried to sound like she was joking when she asked, "I know I'm not your favorite person right now, but try not to look so excited about seeing me."

In fact, Helena was worried that Afrida's disappointed look _was_ about her, so she was relieved when Afrida said, "Oh. Hi. Uhm. I'm sorry. No. No, it's not … It's not you. I was just hoping you were someone else, making a delivery. Of course I'm happy to see you. C-come in."

Helena frowned and followed Afrida into her office. Afrida absently closed the blinds, even though there was no one in the work area to see her and Helena. The alpha wolf stepped cautiously closer to Afrida and asked, "What's the matter? Why are you … upset? And where is everybody?"

Afrida came a bit closer to Helena and spoke softly, "The reason why no one is here is related to why I'm agitated, actually. You know Terri Curry?"

Helena thought for a moment, then said, "Your brilliant but obnoxious Weretortoise?"

Afrida smiled weakly and affirmed, "Yes. That's him. Well, Terri has a pet tortoise, a real tortoise, named Ben. Ben resides in a tub, out there, next to Terri's desk. Someone took Ben today, and Terri had a meltdown. I told everyone to go work from home or in another part of the complex. I'm hoping that whoever took Ben will bring him back today, before close of business. I sent Terri off to calm down, but he's coming back soon. I'm surprised he hasn't come back already."

Helena moved even closer and gently caressed Afrida's arm. She gazed into beautiful, somewhat stormy, blue eyes and said, "And I'm guessing that Terri will go ballistic if Ben isn't back when he returns."

Afrida nodded, the worry written all over her face. Helena held Afrida's gaze and asked softly, "Is there anything I can do?"

Afrida shook her head lightly, but then said, "Not really. I'm glad you're here. I've just been watching the clock and listening for footsteps. I don't know what I'm going to tell Terri if Ben isn't back when he returns."

Helena shook her head, and before she caught herself she let slip, "Afrida, this is why I always told you it's best to follow workplace policies. Terri should have never been keeping his pet at work, anyway. I know you don't like rules, but -"

Afrida interjected, sounding somewhat edgy, "Look, Helena. Now's really not the time for one of your _I told you so _speeches, okay? That's not fucking helpful right now."

Helena felt a little shitty. She wanted to say something, but decided to keep her mouth shut. So she just nodded in agreement with her wife. She watched Afrida for a moment as the blonde stared blankly. The alpha wolf listened to her wife's agitated breathing. She took in the blonde's stress and worry, which immediately triggered her protective instincts. Helena suddenly wanted to make her wife feel better, to comfort her. She resisted touching Afrida, even though she wanted so much to hold her, caress her … _make love to her_. Helena tamped down the sudden and insistent quickening sensation swirling through her lower abdomen and privates.

Afrida sensed Helena's arousal and focused on her. Helena couldn't take the heat coming to her from Afrida's eyes, and so she said something to change the nonverbal subject being discussed. Helena muttered, "I- I'm sorry, Afrida. I didn't mean to be … such a jerk." And then loud and clear with more conviction, "I'm sorry."

Afrida quirked a brow and looked genuinely surprised. Helena almost never apologized for anything, and never so quickly. Afrida said in a measured tone, "Apology accepted."

There was a moment of silence and mutual staring. Afrida stared hard at Helena, which caused the alpha wolf to avert her gaze. Afrida changed the subject and said, "Sooo, we were going to talk about me. But I think we just covered that. As you can see, the only thing I'm focused on right now is keeping a certain high-strung Weretortoise from going off the deep end. So, next topic. You said you wanted to talk to me about Quinn. What's going on with him?"

Helena once again gave Afrida eye contact and explained, "I told you that Quinn is going through puberty. He's … his voice changed."

Afrida laughed a little and interjected, "Yes, he's Barry White now."

Helena intoned, "This isn't funny, Afrida. It's serious. More about Quinn is changing than his voice. He's insolent and rude. He's … aggressive and, disobedient. He pissed all over the apartment last night. We had a big fight this morning and I made him clean it up. But not until after he challenged me several times and tried to fight me. He defied me. He lied to me too many times to count. He-"

Afrida interjected, "Calm down, Helena. Puberty is a phase of life. It can be scary and challenging for both the parents and the child, but it's totally natural."

Helena sighed and gave Afrida a look that said, _You're not getting it. _She objected, "Afrida, I know you love all things natural, but this isn't just a teenage phase."

Afrida interrupted, "You're right. It's not exactly a teenage phase. Quinn is almost seventy-four years old. He's late to this party, actually."

Helena responded, trying to remain calm, "It's not that, Afrida. Quinn's not human. The parts of him that just awakened are vampire, fairy, maenad and tiger. They're violent and over-sexualized and … ravenous."

Afrida wasn't moved. She calmly responded, "Yes, Helena. I think you think I don't understand that, but I do. I never said Quinn was human, or that his … puberty, if that's what you want to call it, would be like a human's. But in a sense it is like any kind of puberty because he's not the first to go through this. Planet Earth is full of baby vampires, fairies … maybe not so many maenads … and tigers. All of these babies routinely grow through this phase and into adulthood. Quinn will, too."

Helena worried, "Yes, there are babies of each of these kinds of entities, but not that many hybrids. There aren't that many hybrid babies that are dealing with an exponentially demanding set of cravings and urges."

"That you know about," Afrida interjected. "Just because you don't know about that many hybrids doesn't mean they don't exist. For example, I'm pretty sure the Wellingtons are more than just lions."

Helena rolled her eyes and said, "Look, I don't know what the Wellingtons are, but I know what Quinn is. Dr. McFadden warned me and M that Quinn could be very dangerous. The military didn't have a blueprint for this, so we're on our own in figuring this out."

Afrida replied, still calm, "We have each other, Helena. You, me and M will be there for Quinn; and we do have a blueprint. Quinn will have … desires, cravings. He will act on some of them, but ultimately I think he will self-impose limits. He will have some failures, but I don't think he will diverge from the core of who he is, deep inside."

Helena couldn't take Afrida's Mother Earth calmness anymore. She asked, edginess and anger evident in her voice, "Is rape and torture part of who Quinn is on the inside?"

Afrida looked momentarily surprised. Then she frowned and asked, "Are you saying Quinn has raped and tortured someone, Helena?"

Helena paused, then said, "No. I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I can read his thoughts and they're increasingly aggressive. I can … feel the darkness in him. And those dark thoughts center around Kara."

Afrida rubbed her face with her hands, calming herself. She asked, "Do you believe thinking about something … fantasizing about something is the same as doing it in the real world?"

Helena briefly remembered M's contemplation of forcing himself on her and quickly said, "No, that's not what I'm saying. But-"

Afrida cut her off, "Helena. Sometimes being able to read someone's mind puts one in a worse position than not being able to read someone's mind. Empaths are too tempted to label another based on that person's private thoughts. They think a person's thoughts tell you who they truly are, more than what they do. This isn't necessarily true at all."

Helena was confused. She asked, "What?"

Afrida explained, "If people were held legally or morally responsible for every unsavory, torturous or perverted thought they had, none of us would escape conviction. Some people fantasize about harm coming to their boss, or that bitchy girl they hated in high school. There's a reason why _schadenfreude_ is a word. It's why tabloid news makes so much money. Plenty of people get pleasure out of imagining the suffering of others.

Plenty of people fantasize about overpowering another person or being overpowered. There's a whole porn genre devoted to such fantasies. Do you know why? Because they are quite common, even among people who profess to find such fantasies heinous and degrading. Especially among such people, actually. Some people find these kinds of fantasies incredibly arousing, but they would never want to or actually do them in the real world. Or maybe they would act out the fantasy, but the acting is still a fantasy."

"Quinn's not acting. He's imagining scenarios with a real person. He wants to do things, aggressive sexual things, to Kara." Helena waited for some kind of recognition and concession from Afrida.

But Afrida wasn't giving up her position. The blonde intoned, "Yes, that's precisely what I would expect. Kara is the only person Quinn has been interested in, ever. Thoughts of Kara filled Quinn's head even when the android part of him ruled exclusively. So it's not at all surprising that Kara is on his mind now that the sexual parts of him are awakened."

Helena was frustrated with Afrida. She protested, "I hope you're right, Afrida. I pray that you are. But I fear this is going to get really bad. And someone is going to get hurt. No. Quinn is going to hurt someone. He's going to hurt Kara. I have to control-"

Afrida was approaching pissed as she interjected, "No! No, Helena. That's your problem. You think the solution to everything is for you to control it. Quinn isn't the only one who's going to grow during this process. You are, too. You're going to learn that there are plenty of fucking things in the world that simply cannot be controlled. You can't control a lot of what you feel, like who you love. You can't control your desires. Maybe you can contain them, but you can't eliminate them. You can't control what other people think or do. And you can't control puberty."

Helena scowled and looked hurt at the same time. "Is this giving you some kind of … pleasure, Afrida. This is about Quinn. Do you want him to hurt someone or himself so you can prove a point to me?"

Afrida was now thoroughly pissed. "Oh, cut the shit, Helena. No, I do not want Quinn to hurt himself or someone else. And no, I am not getting some kind of pleasure out of telling you the truth. I wish I didn't have to say anything that hurts you, but if what you say about Quinn is true then you need to face reality. And the reality is that you have no control here. You can urge. You can implore. But you cannot control Quinn. Or Kara for that matter."

Helena was utterly dismayed by Afrida's attitude. She asked, "You just said you would be there with Quinn. That we would do this together. Now it seems you're saying that you're not going to do anything."

Afrida corrected, "I didn't say I was going to stand by and do nothing, Helena. I am going to be there for our son through this process. I'm not, however, going to waste my time trying to control Quinn because I know I can't."

Helena looked confused, angry and agitated. She disliked Afrida's _laissez-faire _attitude to life, and now wasn't the time for it. The blonde had always been that way with Quinn, which made her the cool, fun Mom who fought crime and eradicated evil. Afrida got to play, and Helena was tasked with teaching and molding. This dynamic had always been the reason why Quinn smiled when Helena entered a room, but he_ beamed_ when Afrida walked in. Afrida always got the luxury of being carefree, and Helena always got the work of being the heavy. Helena hated it.

Helena whispered, but the words were still biting, "Fuck you, Afrida. You're not … permanently bonded to Quinn. You're not feeling what he's feeling every minute of the day whether you want to or not. You get to tap into him only when you want that connection. He's fucking scary right now.

If this were just about him doing shit to us, maybe I wouldn't care as much. But he's thinking about doing shit to Kara. Kara, who doesn't have the remotest of sexual thoughts and goes to church twice a week and whose mind is filled with high glossy photos of Quinn and a neon sign that says he can do no wrong. I'm asking for your advice and help. I'm asking you to be Quinn's parent and not his fucking playmate."

Afrida sighed. She was silent for what seemed like an eternity, allowing the quiet to fill the room and push aside the brewing anger between wife and wife. Finally, when she heard Helena's breathing calm down, she quietly asked, "Do you think Kara loves Quinn? Do you think Quinn loves Kara?"

Helena answered, annoyed and not seeing the point of the question, "Yes, Kara is most definitely in love with Quinn. She's been madly in love with him since the first moment she saw him. Quinn? Yes, I suppose he is in love with Kara. As much as a _de facto_ teenage boy full of raging hormones can be in love with someone."

Afrida smiled, then mused, "Love at first sight. How magical. Kind of like what I felt for you."

Afrida turned serious when she saw that Helena didn't appreciate her musings on love. She said, "If Kara loves Quinn and Quinn loves Kara, then their feelings for each other will be an important part of tempering how Quinn deals with her. Quinn's love for Kara will help him fight through his carnal cravings. It will help him see Kara as a person, and not a thing to be used for his own gratification."

Helena closed her eyes, resigned that Afrida just wasn't going to get it. Afrida knew what Helena's expression meant and said, "I know what you're thinking, Helena. You think I don't get what you're afraid of, but I do. I'm just being a realist. I see the thoughts racing through your mind, and they all amount to some combination of physically restraining Quinn, screaming at him or beating him senseless. How many times do you think Quinn will stand for any of that?"

Helena answered confidently, "He'll practice, but he will not be able to defeat me in-"

Afrida shook her head and interrupted, "Noooo, Helena. I'm not disagreeing with you that you are older, stronger and wiser; and will probably be able to beat your son in a fight for a long time to come, maybe forever. But your thinking is too narrow.

Our son isn't a teenager. He's a grown man. He's been on the U.S. Army's payroll since he was what, eighteen? He has a seven figure bank account from all those years of work; and not to mention he doesn't spend any of his own money because his three parents spoil him and buy him everything. He has excellent credit and a keen, developed android brain to help him navigate the world.

Consider these what ifs, Helena. What if Quinn decides that he's not taking your shit anymore and moves out? What if he gets his own place to live and some distance from you? What if he works to block you from seeing his twisted thoughts and emotions, or just shows you what he wants you to see? What if he decides to be with and fuck Kara? What if Kara decides to be with and fuck Quinn? What if, heaven forbid, Quinn decides to be a manipulative, abusive asshole? What if Kara, because she's so in love with Quinn, allows herself to be abused and manipulated? And she finds herself in a cycle of telling herself that it's okay that he hit her or forced himself on her sexually because he loves her and he promises to never do it again?"

Helena's faced grew more and more pained with each of Afrida's hypotheticals. She was now on the verge of tears, the sight of which made Afrida stop talking.

Afrida pulled Helena closer to her and held her face with both hands. She pressed her thumbs gently underneath her wife's eyelids, pushing gently against the soft flesh that was full of tears. "Helena, listen to me. Listen. I'm not saying any of that will happen. Personally, I don't believe it will. But it could, and there's ostensibly nothing we can do about it. You have to prepare emotionally for that.

I think … Look at me. I know, that you've done a superb job raising Quinn. You've taught him everything you possibly could. I am continually amazed at what an incredible mother you are. You poured your entire life into raising our son. I'm saying that now is the time for you to rely on trust more than action. Quinn is an adult. Yes, he has some new aspects of himself that are … babies. Ravenous babies. But he is an adult. You have to trust that you taught him well. That you gave him the best of yourself, and that when he is tested he will turn to that foundation to help him. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Helena did understand. She nodded, and this time tears did fall. Afrida said, almost absently, "I know a lot about trust, Helena. I've been trusting you since I returned from Cyprus. I … don't know why you're keeping me away. I was a basket case this morning. I felt like I wanted to die. If MacArthur hadn't been there for me, I don't know what I would have done. He was so … I've never seen him like that. He fell asleep weeping and curled up in my arms."

Helena felt nervous, but she met Afrida's piercing gaze as she asked, "Did MacArthur tell you why he was so upset?"

Afrida glared at Helena and replied, "No, he didn't. He said that I should talk to you about it. I only know it has something to do with the Man From Dallas. I tried to search his thoughts but he effectively blocked me. He seemed to feel you had committed some kind of … transgression? Something for which he felt you deserved to be … punished? Do you want to tell me about that?"

Helena willed herself not to inhale deeply. Knowing her wife, the alpha wolf shielded her thoughts and said, "You promised you would give me through next week, Afrida. I'm continuing to ask you for that."

Afrida stared daggers into Helena, but relented, "Fair enough. I did tell you that."

Helena changed the subject and said, "You seemed to be okay when we spoke earlier. You mentioned that MacArthur reassured you?"

"Yes. He did. That helped. And we … comforted each other, in the shower together."

Helena knew what Afrida meant by the term "comforted each other," and she sensed that Afrida was testing her. But she couldn't help the agitation she felt at the idea of Afrida and MacArthur making love. It wasn't enough for Helena to cut off the romantic relationship. MacArthur had to do so, as well. The alpha wolf knew that Afrida loved both her and MacArthur, and would focus on her sexual relationship with M to the extent it was lacking with Helena.

But Helena couldn't really be angry with MacArthur, since he didn't fully understand why she was doing what she was doing. And he also linked Helena's sudden desire for distance from Afrida with the Man From Dallas. M was not going to fully support her efforts to help their wife until he and Helena hashed out what had happened between her and Godric in July 2009. The alpha wolf was mostly agitated by the fact that it felt already as if she had been through hell with both her spouses, and yet she had done nothing to start Afrida on the journey of self discovery she needed to take.

Afrida was visibly angry as she asked, "Helena, you're agitated. Upset? That MacArthur and I were intimate?"

Helena shook her head and said, "No. In our marriage any two of us can be together."

Afrida pressed, unbelieving, "But you're something akin to upset, and it definitely has something to do with me and MacArthur being … together. Come to think of it, M made a point of not … taking pleasure for himself this morning. He focused on making me feel good. I thought it was because he was upset about his argument with you. I see now that while that might be part of it, my husband was also denying his own pleasure when he was with me because he felt you would … disapprove. Why is that, Helena?"

Helena didn't know how to answer that question without launching into the full conversation about somehow discontinuing their romantic/sexual relationship, which she definitely was not ready to do right now.

The silence was pissing the goddess off even more. Helena was pretty certain that the intermittent flash of … _light? …_she saw in Afrida's eyes was real, perhaps a flicker of her true goddess powers. Perhaps coming to visit her wife was a bad idea. Helena shuddered a little.

Afrida asked, "Is this yet another topic for the future?"

Helena nodded.

Afrida mused, "I see. This upcoming conversation is going to be … extensive."

Helena felt Afrida boring into her mind, aggressively. She glared back at the goddess and forcibly pushed her away. For the briefest of moments, Helena thought she saw a flash of … _sunlight? … _beam from her wife's eyes. But she blinked and there were her wife's beautiful cerulean eyes, and Helena told herself she must have been seeing things. The alpha wolf gritted out, "Giving me the time I asked for includes not searching my thoughts, Afrida. You're violating the spirit of your promise."

Helena instantly felt the pressure against the doorways of her mind dissipate. Afrida smirked, "My beautiful wife has become such a gifted empath. There was a time when I navigated your thoughts at will, undeterred. How I wish that was the case now."

Afrida's expression turned mischievous. Helena recognized the look, which signaled the emergence of one of Afrida's qualities that Helena liked the least – bitchiness. The goddess drawled in that ruthless, sarcastic tone that Helena detested, "Well, through the end of next week is a long time to wait. It's good that I will be spending some time away. It will help me pass the time."

Helena frowned and her heart raced a little. She asked, "What are you talking about?"

Afrida smirked as she replied, "I'm going to Asia to test the Taiwan Tesla tower."

Helena was now the one searching Afrida's thoughts. She noted that Afrida was allowing her to see into her mind, which was something she could have easily prevented. She wanted Helena to know that she wasn't being truthful. She also wanted the alpha wolf to know she was pissed off.

Helena, despite knowing Afrida was toying with her, took the bait and said, "You're lying. Where are you going and why?"

Afrida thought about drawing the fun out, but she really wanted to get a rise out of her wife. She said, "I'm going to Asia, like I said."

Helena asked again, "But you're not going to test the Tesla tower, or M would be going, as well. And he hasn't mentioned anything about-"

Afrida interrupted, "Look, just leave it alone, Helena. I'll be out of town. What do you care where I go? If I'm in DC or in Taiwan, what difference does it make. Either way, I'm not in my home. In my bed."

Helena detected the hurt underneath the anger. She softened her tone and said, "I do care where you are. I do, Afrida. Can you please just tell me the real reason why you're leaving. Are you leaving because of … this situation?"

Afrida considered for a moment. Helena sounded genuine, but the goddess wasn't moved enough to subdue her anger or bitchines. So she said, "No, Helena. Contrary to what you might think, everything doesn't revolve around you. I can't say much, except the trip is real. I was asked to take a special assignment, a mission; and I can't say anything else about it.

Helena searched Afrida's thoughts and feelings. She puzzled over the messages she received. Afrida was getting some delight in telling Helena she was leaving town, but this time she wasn't lying.

Afrida jibed, "You can't stand it, can you? I can feel what's going on inside you. I don't care that you're tempering it. It's there. You're stewing because I'm doing something unexpected that's going to affect you for what? A few days? But you have no problem with making unilateral decisions that have left me isolated in Washington, DC for how long now? And you haven't even told me what this is all about. Or what else you plan on doing to turn my life upside down?"

The guilt wrote itself all over Helena's face. Helena knew what Afrida was saying was true. She was extremely agitated about the idea of Afrida being in Asia. Afrida was right, at least from her perspective. And right now, her perspective was all that Afrida had as a reference point. She didn't know what Helena knew, so of course this whole situation seemed crazy and incredibly unfair. And incredibly selfish on Helena's part.

Helena sighed, then said, "Okay. You're right. That's not fair of me. I'm sorry."

Afrida looked amazed. She asked, "What was that? Did my wife, Helena Wolfe, just say she was sorry about something twice in one day?"

The two of them just stared at each other for long seconds. Helena resisted the urge to snipe back at Afrida. She ignored the sarcasm and considered for a moment. After calming herself, she asked, "Can you at least tell me who you're going on this top secret mission with?"

Bingo. Afrida was not sure whether this violated Hobbes's rules about disclosure or not. But she decided that it didn't, mostly because she wanted to spill the beans. She said, "I'm not saying anything more after this. I'm going with General Hobbes."

The goddess paused for a delicious moment, then said, "And Senator Helen Lycan."

As Afrida predicted, her alpha wolf wife growled and her eyes glinted yellow. Afrida smirked openly, looking forward to where this might go. Afrida's spouses were two extremes when it came to jealousy. MacArthur was a raging ball of emotions and savage unpredictability, so much so that Afrida rarely provoked him. The last time she did he was such a potent mixture of angry and hurt that it was more guilt-inducing and scary than fun.

Helena, in contrast, viewed extreme displays of emotion as unseemly. The one exception, of course, was perceived danger to Quinn, in response to which she went unapologetically ballistic. Helena rarely showed jealousy, even when Afrida knew she was feeling it. The alpha wolf would take a deep breath and reason with, flirt, claim ownership and soothe the impetuous blonde, eventually pressing her to relent. Of course, Afrida's attempts at antagonism always ended in passionate lovemaking, which on some level was always the ultimate goal. It was, in fact, her goal right now.

Although Afrida was always frustrated in the moment by her inability to make Helena jealous, she found her alpha wolf wife's sheer level of confidence and swagger insanely alluring. But like most beings, Helena had at least one weak point that could be attacked, and Afrida had discovered some time ago that her wife's one vulnerability was Senator Helen Lycan. Helena found everything about the Senator from Texas infuriating, including her big, drawling Texas accent, which Helena insisted the bitch exaggerated for effect. She also hated her sense of entitlement and the way she rubbed her power in everyone's face.

However, Helena was most jealous because of the similarities between herself and the alpha wolf senator. Top on her list of hated similarities were their almost identical names, which basically amounted to Helena Wolf and Helen Wolf. Second, they were both alpha wolves with green eyes. Third, they had similar temperaments, and similar things provoked them to anger, including each other. Afrida surmised that on some level hidden so deep Helena would never acknowledge it, her alpha wolf wife worried that Afrida saw Senator Lycan as an attractive, "close enough" replacement for Helena.

Helena also detested the fact that Lycan's husband was a Wellington. The only reason Lycan kept her maiden name was to emphasize her supposed downtrodden Were status to gain support for her supernatural rights legislation. Helena found all of this too calculating and somewhat deceptive. Afrida's response was, "She's a politician. What do you expect?"

Due to family intermarriages, Helen Lycan was one quarter Werewolf, one half Weretigress and one quarter Wereshark. The first time Afrida met her at a cocktail party, the blonde was immediately captivated by the senator's striking auburn hair and sea green cat eyes. Afrida found the combination of Senator Lycan's hair and eyes … _enthralling_. She stared intently at the Congresswoman. Helena assumed Afrida was intensely attracted because of the staring. While Afrida was interested in the senator, the real reason she stared so intently was because Helen Lycan's hair and eyes reminded her of … _someone_. But she couldn't remember who.

The senator, like Helena, assumed Afrida's intense staring was a sign of attraction. Being the alpha that she was, Lycan wasted no time in returning the perceived flirtation and taking things to the next level. From that point on, Senator Lycan brazenly made her desire to fuck Afrida plain and clear, even going so far as to express her intent to seduce her with Helena standing just feet away. That particular gathering was quite exciting, as MacArthur literally had to restrain Helena to prevent her from attacking the mischievous senator. Lycan, for her part, stood her ground and invited a brawl.

Senator Lycan wasn't a subject Afrida had ever brought up deliberately, until now. Perhaps she wouldn't have brought it up this time, except as coincidence would have it, Lycan was going on the mission to China, so Afrida had a legitimate reason to bring her up. Helena now knew the rules of quantum physics, however; and therefore knew very few things were coincidences. The goddess wasn't thinking about quantum physics. She was frustrated by the lack of information forthcoming from her wife; and she knew the idea of her spending any unchaperoned time with Lycan would infuriate Helena. As predicted, it did.

Afrida saw her wife's glowing eyes and went for the jugular. She mused, "You know, I've always wanted to fuck Senator Lycan. And of course, she's long made it clear she wants to fuck me. Perhaps I will request a permission to share my bed with her for the duration of my trip to Asia. I wanted to save her tigress sex drive for a good occasion. Now might be the time, since I haven't had sex in a while. It seems my wife has decided not to give me any, and on top of that she's somehow intimidated my husband into withholding his affections, as well."

Helena was openly snarling now, and her eyes were glowing so brightly that Afrida wondered for a moment whether she might shift. Helena growled out, "The rules require that your spouses consent, and I do not."

Afrida glared as she retorted, "The rules also suggest the need for a valid basis for withholding a request."

Helena growled, "She wants … to be with you."

Afrida wasn't moved, "First, _Helen _is married, as am I. So it is not possible in any meaningful sense for _Helen_ to be with me. Second, it doesn't matter what _Helen_ wants. It only matters what I want. I assure you I would follow the one-time rule with _Helen_, as I have for all my prior sexual conquests. I'm not sure we can say the same about you and the Man From Dallas. But alas, that is a conversation for another time.

Anyway, _Helen _is a most intriguing combination, don't you think? The alpha wolf in her makes her soooo commanding. The tigress part of her apparently makes her able to tirelessly fuck for days straight, or so she tells me. And the shark, while stereotypically cold, is actually warm-blooded, powerful and quite social. _Helen_ has promised to give me an up close introduction to her inner shark. I forgot to ask _Helen_ what kind of Wereshark she is. Tiger, nurse, great white? Apparently it makes a difference.

I've heard rumors that_ Helen_ may also have a touch of vampire in her, which would explain why she never seems to age. She won't confirm or deny being a vampire publicly, but I'm sure I could get her to tell me her secrets over pillow talk. Or maybe _Helen _would just give me undeniable proof of her vampiric nature by biting me. The neck is so pedestrian. If suitably aroused, which I don't doubt _Helen_ can make me, I would allow her to suck on my breast, or perhaps my inner thigh. Do I have your permission to explore these sensual experiences with _Helen_?"

Afrida practically purred all of this, which she knew would invite Helena's irritations with cats to come to the surface. She also knew calling Helen Lycan by her first name in a familiar tone would further infuriate her alpha wolf wife. Afrida knew she would get a passionate response, but she wasn't prepared to be slammed backwards into the wall. Helena pinned her firmly and growled, "No! She's not fucking you. You are my wife. You are mine. Mine!"

**_# # # # #_**

**_Helena's Visit With Afrida Takes a Sensuous Turn_**

Afrida's amusement with the game of making her wife insanely jealous dissipated when she saw tears once again threatening to fall from Helena's eyes. The tears were a sharp contrast to her wife's angry, glowing eyes and the threatening growling. Afrida was also relishing their bodies touching. She liked and wanted the physical contact, and she didn't care that it was borne out of anger. And she also felt guilty because she had deliberately hurt Helena, and the tears made the hurt all the more palpable. _Fuck all these stupid emotions. I can't stand this._

Helena gripped Afrida by the arms, holding her against the wall of her office. Their faces almost touched as they stared into each other's eyes. Their breasts were achingly close to each other. The two wives stood like this for several minutes. They didn't make a sound, except for breathing. Their breathing slowly synchronized, which caused their almost touching breasts to kiss with each inhalation.

Afrida stopped playing games. Anguish was evident in her voice as she whispered, "You're jealous, Helena? You don't want me anymore and you're even trying to keep me from being with MacArthur. Why do you care who I fuck? I keep thinking you're trying to figure out how to tell me you don't want me anymore. You want things to be the way they were … with just you and MacArthur. You're just trying to figure out how to tell me. That's what this is all about, isn't it?

Afrida was studying Helena intently as she said these words. She wanted to see any hint that what she said might be true. Instead, Afrida saw her alpha wolf's eyes widen in horror and disbelief as she wondered aloud whether Helena still wanted to be with her. This gave the goddess a great deal of comfort. But she still wanted as much reassurance as she could get. She searched Helena's thoughts and feelings, and to her relief MacArthur was right. Helena's heart, mind … her very being rejected the notion that this separation had anything to do with her not wanting Afrida anymore.

Helena, whispered, sounding truly shocked by Afrida's fears that Helena didn't want her anymore, "How … how could you ever think that? Of course I want you. I want you for the rest of my life. I want you for … _forever_."

Afrida stared at Helena, taking in the words she just said. She could feel them, the truth of them, the warmth of them. They blanketed her so warmly that she couldn't remember how she ever believed otherwise.

Helena had so many things to say swirling around in her head. _Please don't do this, Afrida. Please don't fuck Senator Lycan. Or anyone you might … fall in love with. Don't leave me. Just do this so you can get better. But what is "this?" What am I asking you to do? And for how long? How do I get you to understand? How do I keep you from hating me? How do I not drive you away? How does driving you away help? It makes it worse, and I'll lose you. I'd rather keep you mine than drive you away. I feel you slipping away from me. Is what I saw in Cyprus even real? Maybe it's a … maenad delusion. Maybe I am going crazy. No, it was real. The tattoo on your thigh is real. How do I do this without losing you? I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you. I would die if I lose you._

Helena dropped her head onto Afrida's shoulder and breathed erratically. Afrida checked in with her wife, and found her to be broken and full of doubt about … _her decision to force this separation?_ Afrida pondered, trying to figure out the source of Helena's immense heartache. But before she could make much progress, she heard Helena mumble in a whisper almost too soft and garbled to hear, "I don't want this. I don't … I can't do this. I want this to go away. Go away. I wish I never knew. I'm not … strong enough. I'm not. Just want my wife. My family the way it was. Arrrgh. God. Help me, please. I just … (mumbling, something Afrida couldn't make out) … what to do."

Helena was almost moaning the words, as if she was feeling intense physical pain. Her chest was heaving, like she was trying to hold in tears. Afrida didn't know the source of Helena's deep anguish, but she knew from feeling what her wife was feeling that the heartbreak was profound and genuine. It was the kind of deep-seated hurt that had been burrowing deep within skin and muscle and bones and blood for a period of time. Afrida also sensed that Helena wasn't talking to her. She was … _praying?_

Afrida pushed away from the wall just enough to wrap her arms around Helena. To the blonde's surprise, Helena pulled her even closer and squeezed her, so tightly it almost hurt. The alpha wolf buried her head in the crook of Afrida's neck and wept. Afrida caressed Helena's back and stared wide-eyed at the opposite wall, trying to understand what was happening with her wife.

Afrida frowned and whispered, "I'm sorry. Okay. Don't cry. I'm sorry. I was just … being a bitch. I was _trying _to get a rise out of you, to … make you jealous. I don't want to sleep with Senator Lycan. I just said that because I was … I'm hurting. I'm so confused. I know what MacArthur told me, and it made me feel better this morning. But I needed to hear it from you. I don't have any idea what you're doing. And because of the unknown, I'm fearing the worst. My mind … goes places, trying to understand what it is that you're doing. Trying to figure out why you don't want to be around me."

Afrida felt Helena grip the back of her collar, like she was holding on for dear life. The stress of the grip was choking her a little, but Afrida ignored it. Helena spoke again, and this time she was clearly addressing Afrida. She whispered, pressing her lips to Afrida's ear, still sounding like every bone and muscle in her body was being ripped apart, "I want you, Afrida. I love you. I'm not trying to … get rid of you. I would die without you. I want you to be with me, be my wife forever. We said forever. We vowed forever. I vow it again now and every day for the rest of my life. We will belong to each other forever."

Afrida felt a torrent, an immense … _fullness_ … flood into her heart. She literally felt the love that flowed from her wife come into her with the strength of a raging river made pregnant by a thunderstorm. The waves were almost violent and angry in their intensity, as if daring Afrida to deny their force.

Afrida also felt a surge of arousal from the caress of Helena's lips against her ear. She didn't try to stifle it, and instead let it flow through her. She pressed her lips to Helena's ear and kissed her gently as she whispered, "Then forget whatever this is you're doing and just love me. Be with me. Make love with me. Nothing else matters. Just make love to me."

Helena held onto Afrida. A haze of intense, pure lust cut through her tears and anguish. It flowed through her entire body, and concentrated in a pulsating throb between her legs. Afrida must have sensed her wife's arousal, because she moved her hands down to Helena's ass, squeezing and pulling Helena's pelvis into her thigh. Afrida's entire body quickened when she heard and felt the reverberations of Helena moaning into her ear.

Afrida kissed Helena on her ears and cheeks. She eased Helena's head up and planted firm kisses all over her face, tracing a random pattern that made it's way to succulent lips that she hadn't tasted in what felt like forever. The goddess closed her eyes as she felt Helena's hands repeating a deliciously slow pattern, roaming possessively over her back, her sides, down the front of her chest, then wrapping back around her to hold her briefly in a tight embrace, then repeating the cycle again. Helena then held Afrida tightly around the waist with one hand and firmly grasped the back of her head with the other. Taut fingers gently ran through Afrida's hair and massaged her head.

Helena took in the feel of every inch of her beautiful wife. It was as if she had forgotten the full lusciousness of Afrida's body, the soft curve of her hips, the ampleness of her breasts as they pressed into her own. It was as if she had never known the softness and warmth of those wonderful patches of skin comprising Afrida's arms, hands, neck and face. She suddenly wanted to take all of those surfaces into herself, using all of her senses. Helena smelled, and caressed, and gazed, and tasted with her tongue, and listened to the appreciative moans of her goddess wife.

The alpha wolf's formidable defenses were weakening by the second. Her inner fairy, wolf, maenad and vampire were not babies like those of her son, but even seasoned adults can be reduced to an infantile state by starvation and thirst. Helena's inner aspects were in such a state of longing for her wife, and they threatened mutiny against her inner android, the lone voice of reason.

A single thought overwhelmed Helena. Possessiveness. _This is mine. Mine._ _I won't lose it. I won't._

Afrida heard her, and assented to the possession. She abruptly stopped the slow trail of kisses and took Helena's mouth with her own. Afrida kissed her wife with deliberate abandon and a hunger that was so intense Helena thought the surface of her skin might be burning, just a little. The alpha wolf told herself she was just going mad from pent up sexual frustration. Her eyes were clamped shut, because she didn't want daylight intruding on the sensations of moist lips and probing tongues colliding. Accordingly, she didn't see the pulsing warm light that was intermittently emanating from her wife's mouth. Had the room been dark, the scene might have been somewhat macabre, as the two wives' faces lit up like two beautiful Jack O'Lanterns.

Helena opened her eyes when she felt Afrida pulling her down to the floor. Helena remembered absently thinking to herself "_the floor is hard and cold. I wish we could be soft and warm." _Apparently, Helena's wish was her goddess wife's command, because by the time they fell to the floor they landed on something soft and warm. To Helena's amazement, she saw a Japanese futon underneath Afrida. It was a bit larger than a twin-sized bed, and just thick enough to take away the hard coldness of the floor.

Helena asked two questions in rapid succession, "Where did this come from? What are you doing?"

Afrida replied just as frenetically and in between kisses, "I sometimes take siestas in my office, I guess. I'm tired of standing up. I want to feel you on top of me."

Helena's android mind tried to reason with its owner, "_Uhm, siestas? Afrida doesn't sleep because she needs to sleep. She sleeps so that she can dream about sex. She made that futon out of thin air, because she's a goddess."_

But Helena's other parts were also making compelling arguments, "_Who the fuck cares? It's a futon, from somewhere. Bed, Bath & Beyond. Macy's had a white sale, maybe. We don't know and we don't care. It's soft and warm. And Afrida's body underneath us is even softer and warmer. We miss this. We want it. Now."_

At the moment, the sensualistic parts of Helena were decidedly winning. Their most compelling argument was the earth shattering sensation of Afrida's body slowly writhing underneath Helena's. So intensely arousing was this simple action that the alpha wolf's entire body responded all at once. Wetness, practically dripping, flowed between her thighs, which numbed and tingled all the way down to her toes. Her heart raced and her lungs pulled in raspy intakes of air.

Helena danced horizontally with her wife. She kissed her. Long, deep, unhurried kisses. She gasped when she felt Afrida guide her left hand away from the swell of her breasts down to her waist. She felt her own fingers being pressed against a belt buckle. The deft fingers of Helena's hand didn't need instructions. They moved on autopilot, knowing instinctively what to do. In scant seconds, the belt was unfastened, along with the button underneath, followed by the sound of a zipper being yanked down.

Then it was Afrida who gasped as she felt a single, powerful finger press against her swollen clit, then circle, dipping inside her to collect warm wetness, then circle again. Afrida thrusted and circled her hips rhythmically, keeping perfect time with Helena's methodical strokes.

Afrida moaned, "You feel so good on top of me. So good inside of me. Your fingers are soooo strong. Hmmm. I want this to last, but you've starved me. I can't. Hmmm, I can't contain it."

Afrida gripped Helena's shoulders and moaned into the soft, glistening skin of Helena's neck. She felt herself on the verge of coming, and quickly loosened her jacket and the white dress shirt underneath.

Afrida whispered, "Here, my love. Taste me. Hurry. I'm almost there. Your favorite. Then I want to touch you. I miss how you feel so much."

Helena's mind was reeling from all the stimulation, including the sensual sultriness of Afrida's voice moaning and whispering just for her. She could hear the blood pumping through Afrida's veins, and her mouth salivated at the thought of tasting it. Afrida's blood tasted like heaven on Planet Earth, and it was sweetest when she was cumming.

Helena was willing her fangs not to click and bite, and her inner android was trying to reason, "_There's still time to stop this. You can't go back to the way things were, or it will be that much harder to start down this road again." _

Neither Afrida nor Helena heard the door to the work area open, but Helena sensed it. Or rather, her Were bond sensed the identity of the intruder – Quinn.

Quinn didn't see anyone in the work area. He had passed by twice just to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. He didn't care if Terri knew what he had done to Ben. In fact, the note and the gift he planned to leave inside Ben's empty, bloody shell would amount to a private message letting Terri know exactly who ate his beloved Ben. Nevertheless, the alpha tiger didn't exactly want an audience to witness his crimes.

Quinn was so focused and gleeful about leaving his little gift for Terri that he didn't pick up on the fact that his mothers were in Afrida's office until he had entered the work area. He panicked a little and then froze, deliberating whether he should just head for the door.

Inside Afrida's office, Helena was struggling through her amped up hormones and Afrida's kisses to tell Afrida that Quinn was in the next room. But all she managed to mutter was, "The door."

Afrida replied sensuously, "Don't worry about the door, baby. I locked the door."

Quinn turned for the door. Then to his surprise, it locked. By itself. Quinn sped back to the door and tried to unlock it, but the lock wouldn't budge. Nor would the door move, even a little, despite Quinn's formidable efforts to force it open. It was as if the door had turned into a wall.

Quinn said, "Shit," then decided he might as well go about the business he came for. He opened the box he was carrying and pulled out the remnants of Ben, which basically amounted to a bloody shell with a bit of flesh clinging to the inner edges. In the shell he left a pack of Skittles and a handwritten note that read, "Dear Terri, I found your friend in the desert. A desert animal must have gotten him. So sorry about your loss. Have some Skittles on me to help with your sorrows."

Since he was trapped in the work area, Quinn took a seat on the floor just on the other side of the wall of Afrida's office. He focused on the activities taking place on the other side of that wall. He tapped into the Were bond and raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise. He could feel Helena's arousal. It was intense. He smiled. His parents were … having sex. Quinn's android brain replayed a history of his family life. His parents having sex after an argument was a good thing. A very good thing. It meant they were making up. It meant good times again. It meant no divorce.

Afrida had unbuttoned her shirt and tilted her head back, presenting her neck for Helena. She was close and barely holding on, when she heard the familiar _click _that signaled the impending painful pleasure of her wife's fangs entering her.

Helena had given up the fight and allowed her fangs to descend. The sharp incisors had pushed out of her with so much force that her gums hurt. She anticipated the explosive orgasm she was about to experience as she drank in Afrida's arousal through her blood. Her inner vampire was right. She wasn't strong enough to do this, and the story of Aphrodite was just a myth anyway.

**_# # # # #_**

**_Helena Renews Her Resolve to Save Afrida_**

But then, for the briefest of moments, Helena caught a glimpse of something in the recesses of Afrida's mind. It was an image of a beautiful blonde, a woman who looked like … _Afrida._ She was running on a winding path that trailed along the side of a … _mountain_? A large, towering mountain. Then suddenly she was lying on her back? No, she … fell on her back. No, the motion wasn't like a fall at all. She was … _pushed on her back. _

Helena had seen this fleeting image in Afrida's mind several times before. It sometimes came to the blonde when she and Helena made love. When Helena was on top of her. But for the first time, Helena detected the ominous, foreboding nature of the image. Whenever this image came to Afrida, the goddess would shudder a little and gaze into Helena's eyes, like she was doing now. And Helena would send her wife a comforting wave of love, except this time she didn't send that comforting wave, because she wanted to see the rest of the image.

_A figure came over the beautiful blonde, who although an adult looked child-like and afraid. The hovering figure had long flowing white hair, but was clearly male. He was big and powerful. He got on top of Afrida, and moved like a wave. An evil, murderous, dark and stormy wave._

Helena gasped. _It's Zeus. She's remembering what he did to her, on Mount Olympus. _

Instinctively, the wolf in Helena growled at the sinister attacker in Afrida's mind. She smothered Afrida with heat wave after heat wave of protective comfort. The alpha wolf's eyes glowed yellow, and she tamped down the arousal in her that wanted to ravage her wife. After seeing and understanding the image in Afrida's mind, she felt somewhat ashamed of wanting to take her roughly.

Afrida opened her eyes and regarded Helena. She half-spoke, half-moaned in confusion, "What's wrong? You've never refused my blood. In fact, you always beg for it."

Helena fought through both her arousal and the clench in her throat that threatened to trap her words. She shook her head and gritted out, "No. Can't."

On the other side of the wall, Quinn scowled. He needed his mothers to consummate what they had started. His android brain showed one hundred percent success at making up when parental lovemaking was consummated. There was insufficient, almost nonexistent data, for what happened when lovemaking was aborted. Quinn wasn't taking any chances. His eyes turned black and his body vibrated rapidly with maenad energy. He sent this jolt of sexual electricity straight into his mother through their Were bond.

Helena was so busy navigating sex with Afrida that she wasn't prepared to fend off the flank maenad attack by Quinn. The current of sexual energy zoomed into her. She groaned and stiffened like a board, trying to absorb and control it. Her eyes shifted from a glowing glint of wolfen yellow to obsidian, as she was temporarily taken over by her son's maenad energy.

Helena growled, "Argggghh, Quinn."

Afrida replied breathily, "Stop it, wolf mama. I told you. Quinn is going to be fine. He's a little horny, but he'll be fine. Right now, I'm horny, too. And I don't want to think about our son now. Kiss me."

Before Helena could recover, Quinn sent another powerful jolt into her. The surge caused Helena to jerk back and forth, and lose control of her other aspects. Both her inner wolf and vampire were growling, and her eyes were alternating between a wolfen yellow and maenad midnight. The spasms had temporarily halted the rhythmic stroking Helena had been giving Afrida's clit. Afrida assumed Helena's spasms were due to her struggling against the blonde's attempts to seduce her.

Afrida guided Helena's hand back to her wet center and pressed two strong fingers inside. Just as she did, Helena's inner fairy developed a mind of its own. A current of fairy light emitted from deep within her, down her arm and out through her fingers.

Afrida threw her head back and gasped loudly, "Huuuuuhhhh. Hmmm … what did you just do to me? It felt like, nature itself was shooting into me. Hmm, I'm really there now. I need you to take it. Take my blood, now."

Helena shook her head. _No. _But Afrida was closer to having Helena, completely having her sexually, than she had been in two weeks. She wasn't taking "no" for an answer. Without warning, she pressed her wrist into Helena's fangs, which easily pierced the soft flesh. Helena suddenly found Afrida's sweet rich blood flowing into her mouth. She swallowed and sucked automatically, her eyes rolling back as the sudden rush of intoxicating crimson goodness washed over her taste buds and down her throat.

Quinn, who was completely tapped into his mother via their Were bond, widened his eyes in disbelief. Through Helena, he could experience Afrida's blood, which tasted better than any candy he had ever eaten, chocolate or non-chocolate. To Quinn, Afrida's blood tasted like sunshine and happiness and every best candy known to humanity and a Lone Ranger marathon and the best sex he had only imagined all rolled into one.

And then suddenly, Helena pushed Afrida's wrist away. Quinn's babies were beside themselves with withdrawal and anger. _Nooooooo. What the hell are you doing? Don't stop. We want more._

Quinn's baby vampire especially loved the goddess's blood, but _all_ his inner babies longed for the euphoria that Afrida's intoxicating elixir created. They instantly began plotting how to taste more of Afrida's blood, and not via second-hand experience. Their reasoning was simple. _She's our Mom. She's never refused us anything. This surpasses every other thing. Forget motorcycles and leather jackets and decoder rings. All we want for our birthday and Christmas and every other day is Afrida's blood._

Quinn sent another, angry jolt of maenad energy into Helena, hoping to weaken her resolve and induce her to resume drinking his Mom's blood. This time the alpha wolf was somewhat ready for the onslaught and was able to partially block his attack. Helena thought of oceans and waves and breathed to calm herself. For good measure, she sent a maenad counter-attack through the bond, which caused Quinn to jump. He managed to put his hands over his mouth and stifled a howl.

Afrida was too close to stop herself from reaching release. She had all sorts of questions racing through her mind as her body convulsed from the firm, circular strokes that Helena had been giving her. She stopped writhing and took a moment to recover. When she could finally concentrate on Helena, Afrida's face once again echoed the sadness and dejection she had felt before.

**_# # # # #_**

**_Afrida Becomes Convinced of Helena's Love for Her_**

Afrida whispered, afraid of the answer, "Why are you rejecting me? You don't love me anymore, Helena?"

Helena had waivered, but now her resolve to save her wife had returned. The image in Afrida's mind of being raped by her own father was looping over and over, angering and horrifying the alpha wolf. But even more horrifying were the unseen faces of Afrida's tormenters – Artemis, Athena, Persephone and Hera, and the men (like Ares and Poseidon) who claimed to love her but who hated her act of taking Adonis as a lover so much that they allowed her to be attacked. Helena gave Afrida's enemies faces in her own mind, and imagined them laughing at the goddess, so convinced that she would fail.

Helena was competitive, and a fierce, relentless fighter. She knew a lot about being tormented, including years of sexual torture, and gathering the will to defeat one's evil abusers. She knew a great deal about winning and controlling one's own destiny despite the obstacles placed in one's way. She suddenly felt that she had the strength, the ability, the experience, and the will, to help Afrida. She wanted, more than sex, more than her current life with the goddess, to help her wife get the last laugh, to help her gain more than 1,000 times the power she now possessed, so that no one, not even Zeus himself, could ever hurt her again.

Helena regarded Afrida intently, her fangs still distended and her eyes still glinting yellow and black. She was weak, but took enough control over her body to be able to speak. She gently caressed her wife's cheek and whispered, "I told you that I love you with every fiber of my being. I want you so much. You can see that it's written all over my face. I can't exactly hide my arousal. But more than wanting to make love to you, I need to protect you. No one. No one … is ever going to hurt you again."

Afrida shook her head, still confused. But something about the way Helena locked eyes with her and took in her gaze, unflinching … something about the deep conviction in her voice, comforted Afrida. She said, "I – I don't know what you're talking about. I just want … I just need to know that you still love me."

Helena could feel Afrida already rifling through her thoughts and feelings as she asked the question. She invited her in. "How did MacArthur convince you that I loved you? How did he allay your fears this morning?"

Afrida replied, "He let me go inside him. Deep inside his heart, so that I could see for myself. But that's just what he believes about you. That's not necessarily what _you_ believe, or feel."

Helena heard the hope mixed with doubt in Afrida's voice, and said, "Then do the same with me now. Go deep inside my heart, as deep as you want."

Like M had earlier, Helena felt Afrida delving deep into her heart, until it hurt slightly. The alpha wolf closed off the facts about the goddess that motivated her actions, but she laid bare her emotional truths.

Afrida searched and searched through every fiber of Helena's being, her heart, mind, soul. She uttered, in rapt awe, "You love me more than the stars love the night sky."

Helena easily replied, "Yes."

Afrida mused, "You love me more than Planet Earth loves the sun."

Helena replied, "Yes."

Afrida said, "You love me more than babies love breastfeeding."

Helena said as she lightly stroked the exposed flesh of Afrida's bosom, "Yes, both infant babies and adult babies, like myself."

Afrida laughed lightly, then said, her eyes widening in utter amazement, "You – you love me more than our supermodel neighbor Christy loves her once a year fat dinner."

Helena interjected, "Yes, more than Christy loves a Supreme Philly cheesesteak with chips and two Krispy Kreme doughnuts –"

Afrida finished, "And an extra-large regular coke. That's a lot of love."

Helena smiled and said, "Yes."

Tears fell from Afrida's eyes and she pulled Helena as close to her as she could. She held her alpha wolf wife close and relished Helena nestling her head into the crook of her neck. Afrida's eyes darted back and forth, and she tried to process the sum total of knowledge she now knew without a shadow of a doubt. That sum total of knowledge added up to Helena loving her more than anything, including life itself.

**_# # # # #_**

**_But Then Says the Angry Goddess, "What's Love Got to Do With It?"_**

The alpha wolf pushed herself off Afrida and shrank into a corner. She burrowed against the wall and curled into a ball, growling softly and breathing in raspy gasps of air. Afrida considered the problem out loud, while Helena tried to manage Quinn's maenad attack and her out of control hormones.

Afrida slowly pondered, "You … love me more than any words can describe. You love me more today than you've ever loved me before. You love me so much that you have no more room in your heart. It's full of … MacArthur… and me. You .. want me. Desire me, so much that you can't even control your own body."

Helena wasn't sure, because her vision was blurred from the complete disintegration of her hormonal controls, but she thought she saw a flash of sunlight in Afrida's eyes. Afrida continued to muse, her voice just a bit more edgy now, "You want me to be with you. You want me around all the time. You're not keeping me away from home because you _don't _want to be with me. You're keeping me at bay _because_ you want me so much. That's it, isn't it? Isn't it?"

Helena was breathing in quick shallow breaths. Her eyes were still moving back and forth between maenad and wolf. She was still so out of it that she couldn't be sure, but she thought for a moment that Afrida's office felt … _hotter._

Afrida rose from the floor. Helena thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, because it appeared that her wife _literally rose_. She levitated from her prone position and was now hovering above her.

Afrida scowled and said, definitely sounding angry now, "You're pushing me away to avoid being intimate with me? Yes, that's it."

Helena went in and out of a fully conscious state, and so she wasn't taking completely seriously the vision of Afrida floating back and forth. It looked as if she was pacing, except her feet weren't touching the floor. "Now, this _is _puzzling. What could have so much power and influence that it would cause my adoring wife, who is deeply, madly, desperately in love with me … and so sexually aroused by me that the hunger is quite literally consuming her right before my eyes? What could make her work so hard to deny herself the pleasure of making love with me?"

Helena was too weak to move, so she had no idea how suddenly her body was uncurling itself from its fetal position and moving up the wall, straightening until she was hovering above the floor, eye level with Afrida. The goddess floated in close to Helena and said, "This would be a great mystery, except that I know my wife well. And I can think of only one thing that would hold you hostage in such a way.

Afrida gazed at her wife for what seemed like an eternity. Her temper was rising, and her eyes were flashing Helena's face with intermittent bursts of sunlight. Despite the visible signs of her anger, Afrida calmly asked, "Helena, sweetheart, please tell me that whatever has caused you to ask for this separation from me doesn't in some way have to do with some god or goddess."

Helena continued to breath deeply. She didn't answer. Afrida pressed, "Helena, tell me this isn't, yet again, more of your maenad shit."

Helena's averted eyes and noncommittal expression told Afrida the answer to her question. Her eyes glowed just a bit more fiercely.

Helena felt herself sliding down the wall. She heard Afrida's feet _thud _onto the floor. She watched, weak and captivated, as Afrida slowly removed her uniform. The goddess stripped, until she stood before Helena in nothing but a matching pink bikini bra and panties. She stepped forward, pressing her almost nude body into Helena and said, "You like this ensemble? MacArthur is wearing a pair of pink panties just like these. It's a delightful story. You should ask him about it tonight. Fuck me, Helena."

Helena managed to breathe out, "We … need to … talk about this."

Afrida retorted, "We don't need to talk about anything, Helena. We need to fuck."

Helena interjected weakly, "Look, Afrida-"

Afrida shoved Helena slightly and said, "No. You look, Helena. I've spent the past week trying to figure out what the hell is going on with you. Ennui with our relationship, or me? Another lover? I just didn't fucking know, and it was driving me crazy. But now that I know, I'm no longer heartbroken and forlorn. I guess that's a positive. But the negative is that now I'm angry. Very angry."

Afrida pressed her voluptuous body even more into Helena. The blonde kissed the alpha wolf, who didn't resist. Afrida unfastened Helena's belt and the buttons of her pants. When she got no resistance, she slowly pulled down Helena's zipper and slipped her hand inside soaking wet underwear. Helena was about to use what little strength she had to push Afrida away.

Quinn felt his mother's resistance to Afrida and sent another jolt of maenad energy surging her way. Helena screamed and fell forward into Afrida's waiting arms. Afrida assumed Helena was warring within herself about allowing herself to be pleasured; and she didn't ponder beyond that regarding the source of her wife's paroxysms. Besides, the blonde was too intent on fucking to care.

Afrida started stroking Helena, her attentions similar to the ones the alpha wolf had given her earlier. Helena moaned in pleasure. She was too weak to talk, let alone writhe. But she was so aroused that it wouldn't take much stimulation to push her over the edge into orgasmic oblivion.

Helena couldn't escape the images of all the beings who had hurt her wife, or the knowledge of how much more Afrida would be hurt if she didn't evolve and remember her identity. She knew what she had to do, and she used the only voice she had left. Helena sent out a beaming message telepathically. Her mind shouted _please don't do this. Please give me the time I asked for. You wanted to be close to me. I was … weak. I'm sorry. I also gave in because I wanted you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much I love you. But … I need you to trust me. Please don't … force me._

The last sentence moved Afrida away from her anger and returned her to tenderness, for a moment. Her glowing eyes blinked off and she once again gazed upon Helena with beautiful blue eyes that glimmered like the purest ocean. Afrida slowly eased her fingers out of Helena's underwear, never taking her eyes off Helena's. Helena blinked lazily as Afrida placed moist fingers to Helena's lips and traced Helena's own intoxicating wetness over them like lipstick.

Afrida then took Helena lips with her own, licking off every bit of the sweet tasting elixir she had placed there, and briefly pushing her tongue into her wife's mouth.

Afrida left her lips on Helena's as she said, "I know what you were subjected to by the Army during World War I. And because of that I will never, ever, force you to do anything with your body that you don't want, no matter how badly I want it for myself. But neither am I going to make this easy for you."

Afrida pulled away, then continued, "You epitomize why I hate religion. We're married. The ceremony was performed by Dr. McFadden. I don't think it's possible to be more married than having the ceremony presided over by your own creator. Yet, if my ears don't deceive me, I think you just apologized to your own wife for having an intimate moment with her. I believe you called yourself weak for succumbing to desire for me. MacArthur mused that you might be going slightly mad. I think he may be right."

Afrida regarded her uniform, which was crumbled on the floor. Helena blinked in disbelief as she watched the uniform float and straighten itself onto a hanger that drifted to meet it. The hanger and the uniform looked like long lost siblings beings reunited. Afrida flicked through fresh uniforms in her office closet as she complained, "Well, I'm not putting on that uniform again. It's too … constricting. I need a clear head while I give you a piece of my mind."

Afrida was getting angry again, and at the moment was selecting attire that would allow her to settle comfortably into a pissed off state. Helena remembered Alexis's warnings about what an enraged goddess was capable of, and she suspected floating clothes and levitation was just the tip of the iceberg. She saw Afrida turn her back and took the opportunity to seek escape. Maybe if she was out of sight Afrida would calm down.

Helena made it as far as the office door, but when Afrida heard the _snick _of the door latch she spun around. Her eyes were once again emanating a blinking light. At the same time that Helena sought escape from Afrida's office, Quinn sped to the window at the far end of the open work area. He wanted to get out of the room before his mothers came out and saw him. For one glorious moment, he pushed at the window and, to his delighted surprise, it opened.

Then Afrida shouted, "No!" Her office door and the open window both slammed shut; and mother wolf and son tiger were knocked backwards. Quinn recovered and sped into a corner between the window and a large desk. He pulled in his legs so that his mothers couldn't see him. Helena wasn't so lucky. An unseen force yanked her backwards and pressed her back against the wall.

Helena watched as Afrida reached behind several crisp uniforms and pulled out a sleeveless white chiton, a dress worn by ancient Greek women and often depicted adorning goddesses, especially Aphrodite. Helena blinked as the dress seemed to have a mind of its own, slipping over Afrida's head and onto her body.

The impossibly white dress fit snugly around Afrida's breasts, exposing but at the same time containing her ample bosom. A three-inch circle of rich, shiny gold fabric wrapped around the area immediately below the low-cut bodice. The fabric was so brilliant and lush it looked as if it might be made of real gold. A strap made of the same gold material connected to the top of the white fabric supporting one bosom, wrapped around the back of Afrida's neck and attached to the top of the white fabric supporting the other bosom. Below the gold fabric that wrapped around Afrida's upper abdomen, the white dress flowed and hung loosely.

Afrida pulled out flat wooden sandals with her feet. Helena watched with similar amazement as the sandals attached themselves to Afrida's feet and laced themselves around her calves. Afrida glanced up, realizing that her hair still felt contained. She shook her head vigorously, and the bobby pins that kept her hair neat and in its military style fell to the floor. Another vigorous shake and the goddess's long, thick tresses freed themselves completely. Afrida turned to face Helena with a hand on her hip, her slightly curly blonde hair draped magnificently around her shoulders. The goddess managed to somehow look beautifully coiffured and dangerously wild at the same time.

Helena's mind beamed a single thought. _You are absolutely beautiful. So beautiful._

The goddess wasn't having that shit. Her eyes glowed brighter and she drawled, "Oh shut the fuck up. What's the point of my wife thinking I'm drop dead gorgeous if she's turned into some religious maenad nut job who doesn't want to fuck me?"

Afrida paced back and forth, while Helena remained pressed against the wall, too weak to move. She had used all of the little strength she had to attempt escape. After that failure, the alpha wolf was now physically spent. The only movement Helena could muster was the darting back and forth of her wolfen yellow eyes as she warily took in the sight of her increasingly angry wife.

Helena thought, "_You're wearing civilian clothes at work." _The thought was more of an idle observation than a judgment, but Afrida took it as the latter. Her eyes glowed even brighter as she frowned in annoyance.

Afrida smirked, "Yes, Helena. I am. On the information worksheet we all fill out for Human Resources I checked a box that said "nymph." As such, this dress is permissible for me to wear. My right to wear it is actually protected by workplace nondiscrimination rules, provided I'm not engaged in some official meeting. Besides, as you so often point out, I don't follow the rules regarding civilian clothes at work, anyway."

Helena remained pressed against the wall, but only because Afrida wasn't allowing her limp body to collapse to the floor. Afrida stood in front of her and intoned, "You know what your fundamental problem is, Helena? You think you can control everything and everyone in your sphere of influence. And what's worse, you think you have a right to do so. Of course, you think that partly because those of us closest to you have allowed you to be that way for so long."

Afrida looked down at Helena's pants, which were still open. She moved closer and casually zipped and fastened, as she said, "You know, the more that I consider it, I think this grand opus of a conversation we're going to have is going to be a good thing. You have your own agenda for this … talk, I'm sure. But I'm going to have mine.

This can be about whatever it's about for you. But for me, and perhaps MacArthur (because as our spouse he most definitely must be involved, as well), this is going to be about some things that need to be said. Some things that should have been said years ago, but weren't. You see Helena, the three of us seem so happy and perfect together, but we're not. There are issues rumbling deep below the surface of our marriage. They've been tremoring, occasionally jolting us, but we just keep burying them further. But now those tremors are finally being felt on the surface of our relationship, and it's high time we deal with them."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Central Observation Tower_**

**_Colonel Hooter Fowler's Big Moment Has Arrived_**

At the same time that the goddess was berating her wife regarding the tremors rumbling beneath the surface of their marriage, Colonel Hooter Fowler, the Chief Safety Officer, sat eating at his desk in the Central Observation Tower (COT). Colonel Fowler was a Were-owl. He was oddly cute, despite his large head and large brown eyes that always looked a little excited. His tufty, curly brown hair and large ears contributed to his adorableness, and his oversized eyeglasses made him look smart, but more than a little nerdy. He was slender, with an average build and average height. His voice was sufficiently deep, except when he got excited; and Colonel Fowler _always_ got excited about workplace safety.

Fowler was highly intelligent, fastidious, nonplussed and dedicated in the face of insult. These were excellent qualities for a Chief Safety Officer to have, because Fowler faced a never-ending uphill battle to get employees to take him seriously. Most workers viewed him either as a nuisance or an unexpected chance to leave work and goof off. Fowler religiously emailed safety updates, which were just as routinely deleted, unread. Fowler held free workplace lunch symposiums on safety, which attracted the same few people, like Terripin Curry, who were too cheap to buy their own lunch.

Fowler held periodic surprise safety drills, which required workers to take the stairs and safely proceed to designated checkpoints, called Designated Employee Safety Areas (DESAs). Staff were supposed to wait at their DESAs for the safety marshal assigned to their group to check off their attendance. These drills were timed, but gave little valuable information about performance in a real-life emergency because folks always ignored the rules. People like Generals Hammer and Dodson routinely kept their teams working during the drills. When Hooter visited the two generals to complain about them endangering themselves and their workers, he was either ignored or told, "Fuck off, you little fucktard hooter." Fowler hated when people used his first name as an insult.

Other workers never showed up to the designated staging areas at all. Hooter knew for a fact that Brad Baxter treated his entire team to free Starbucks coffee just to get them to bail out during a drill. Often, there were only five or six employees from Baxter's group accounted for, including Deanna Smith, the Safety Marshal for General Helena's team. One time, Hooter went to the Starbucks during a drill to see the violators for himself. To his amazement, not only was more than half of Brad Baxter's team milling about the coffee shop, but there were Generals Dodson and Hammer casually sipping lattes. Even people that Hooter viewed as reasonably responsible, like Generals M, Afrida and Helena, conveniently found a way to be working on Satellite Draco during his Sonoran Army base safety drills.

Almost nobody appreciated the importance of workplace safety, and many assholes took great joy out of frustrating Hooter's efforts to do his job. But Colonel Fowler consoled himself with the knowledge that one day, when everyone least expected it, some kind of disaster was going to happen. Then, and only then, would some of those idiots who routinely mocked him understand the importance of repeatedly doing drills and training. He always told people, "If the plane is going down, it's too late to be reading and trying to learn the flight safety instructions." That's the reason for drills and training, so that when shit hits the fan everyone knows exactly what to do so well that it's just automatic.

This was a normal boring afternoon like every other normal boring afternoon for Colonel Fowler. He sat in the high chair at his desk in the control tower, enjoying his field mouse with cheddar cheese sandwich and flipping through _National Geographic_. He looked out over the Sonoran desert, and briefly regarded the array of video monitors on the wall. The monitors allowed Hooter to keep tabs on literally every part of the base. For this reason, Hooter held a top secret clearance, a fact that he enjoyed rubbing in the faces of non-cleared assholes who tried to belittle his job.

When the two computers in Hooter's office that were linked to the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program suddenly awakened and began blinking, Hooter didn't even notice. Earthquake activity was practically nonexistent in Arizona, and there were no major fault lines in the state. Hooter never even paid attention to the USGS computers, which were required by the federal government to be in place at all VA Program facilities. He wasn't even sure whether the computers still worked, as they had resided for several years untouched, dormant and dusty in the same spot on the same corner desk.

The USGS computers hummed, then whirred, then began a steady feed of data that was spit out of a nearby printer onto a stream of connected, rolled paper. Hooter finally heard the whirring of the printer and turned around. His mouth opened, as he processed the source of the whirring. He mumbled, "No fucking way," as he casually took a last sip out of his Coke before tossing the bottle in a nearby recycling bin. Hooter placed his half-eaten field mouse sandwich back in its ziplock bag, then rested it on his desk.

The dutiful Were-owl made his way slowly to the output of paper that was steadily streaming onto the floor. He picked up the bottom sheet and read it. His eyes slowly widened, even more than usual, in abject disbelief. He pulled through the thread of connected printer pages, taking in more and more data. He pulled faster and faster until he reached the end of the feed. More data was rapidly spilling out of the printer, but Colonel Hooter Fowler had seen enough to make him a believer.

Hooter sped over to a wall-mounted intercom system and pressed the _talk _ button. He screamed into the microphone, which emitted his excited, high-pitched voice throughout the entire Army base, "Earthquaaaaaaaake! This is not a drill. I repeat, everyone. This is not a drill. DESA procedures are being implemented now! I need all safety marshals to report for duty. Now! This is not a drill! Go to the designated safety area for earthquake safety on Lower Level Sub 2. Do not go to Starbucks. This is not a drill!"

Hooter ran to his work closet and hurriedly pulled out his orange Chief Safety Officer jacket and his orange construction hat. He had several orange safety hats, but the construction hat was especially for earthquake-related disasters, since it was likely that debris could be falling as buildings shook from the tremors. Hooter then put on his tool belt, which contained everything from a flare gun to a heavy duty flashlight. He also grabbed his first aid kit, which was an oversized piece of luggage full of everything he would need in any emergency situation, from gauzes to tourniquets for bleeding and splints for broken bones to insulin for anyone who might have a diabetic attack.

Hooter Fowler adjusted his eyeglasses and looked at himself in a floor-length mirror affixed to the wall. He gave himself a quick pep talk, "Whooooot. Whoooooot. Breathe. Calm down and breathe. This is it. This is the day you've been working for, for the past four and a half years. You're now in charge of the entire Sonoran Army base. Your orders stand above those of every general. All the assholes who've been laughing and making fun of you are about to shut the hell up. This is your time, Colonel Fowler. As Ru Paul says, 'Don't fuck it up'."

And with that, Colonel Hooter Fowler went to ensure workplace safety during the first ever 7.0 Mag earthquake in Arizona history.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Sonoran Desert Field Combat Unit (FCU) Test Area for Sectors 4 and 5_**

Generals Hammer and Dodson stood next to each other in the middle of an area of the Sonoran Desert designated as a field test range for Work Sectors 4 and 5, both Field Combat Units, which were managed by Generals Hammer and Dodson, respectively. Their teams were learning how to use the AV weapons that had already been approved for final stage testing and rollout.

Hammer looked up and winced when he heard Colonel Hooter Fowler's voice blare out into the desert via the public intercom system. He shook his head and snarked, "There that little piece of shit goes again. I swear, whoever made that fucking owl the Chief Safety Officer needs to be shot. I'm sick and tired of these stupid drills. I already bought Starbucks today."

Neither general made any move to comply with Colonel Hooter's order to proceed to their designated safety area. Some of the staff looked a bit nervous. Finally, a young Chinese man dressed in an Army uniform approached Hammer and asked, "Sir, Hooter made an announcement that there's an earthquake and we are going into DESA mode. Shouldn't we shut down?"

Hammer said, "No, Colonel Woo. We're already behind on deliverables to the Pentagon. I'm not letting some power hungry owl with an orange jacket and a clip board control my time. Keep working."

Colonel Woo, looking a bit concerned, interjected, "But, uhm, Sir. Hooter specifically said this isn't a drill. He's never done that before."

Hammer replied, sounding irritated, "Look Woo, you and the rest of those pink panties need to keep working. That stupid owl probably concocted this "it's not a drill" crap because he wants to make sure we don't go to Starbucks. Arizona doesn't have earthquakes. Do you _feel _a fucking earthquake?"

Woo paused for a moment, as if trying to detect an earthquake, then said, "No, but—

Hammer interrupted, "No, nothing. If something is truly happening, we'll know and we can go stand around and be counted then. Proceed with the next test. Go, damnit!"

Woo walked back to the group of soldiers who had been waiting to see what General Hammer would say. Woo shook his head. _No, we can't leave. _Woo and the other soldiers kept working but looked nervous.

Hammer tilted his head toward Woo and said to Dodson, "Woo needs to quit worrying about fake earthquakes and tell his mother to quit being cheap on the fortune cookies. I had lunch at her restaurant today and yet again, my fortune says I'm going to travel to some exotic place."

Dodson quipped, "Yeah, tell her to go easy on the dry cleaning bill, too. Haha. But maybe she was telling the truth about exotic places. Look at all the exotica we've got working at this desert shithole. I can't keep track of it all."

Hammer agreed, "Hmm mmm. Fucking desert full of animals." Then facetiously, "I'm sorry, these are my dedicated staff. We didn't have shit like this in the Army in my day."

Dodson joked, "Fucking owls named Hooter. The only Hooters I like are the ones that serve big titties and all you can eat hot wings for lunch on Fridays."

Hammer nodded and said, "Exactly."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_The Goddess Gives Her Wife a Piece of Her Mind_**

Meanwhile, Helena remained pinned to the wall while her beautiful, angry goddess wife paced and scoffed. Afrida said, "You think you know everything, Helena. But you don't. You see what you want to see, and it's all shaped by your delusions. You think you're so wise, but I'll tell you what. I'm _ancient _compared to you when it comes to knowing things about love and human nature. And you … you're like my bright-eyed little child bride."

Helena tried to speak, but she still didn't have enough control over her various hungry aspects to move her lips. She could only think, "_What is that supposed to mean?"_

Afrida stopped pacing for a moment and regarded Helena, "Oh, look at you. Still so consumed by your sexual frustration you can't even talk. Well, good. Because I _can_ talk, and I have some things to say. You just … do what you can with the thoughts in your head. I can hear you just fine."

Afrida resumed pacing and said, "Oh, what do I mean when I say you don't know as much as you think you do about human nature? For starters, you make the most common kind of mistake there is among new empaths. You're so thrilled with the ability that you can't resist peaking into everybody's head. You think you know more because of the ability to read thoughts, when in fact you probably know less."

Helena thought, facetiously, "_Oh really? Do tell me, Afrida." _Helena was initially taken aback by Afrida's mannerisms and goddess powers, but the more she watched her the more comfortable she became. She was, after all, an alpha wolf; and she refused to be afraid of her own wife.

Afrida: Ha. There it is. My wife, I love you so much. But I do detest your arrogance. What? You don't think it's possible that I know more about love than you?

Helena: _I agree that you do._

Afrida: Hmm mmm.

Helena: _I do. I'm asking you to enlighten me with examples. I'm being sincere._

Afrida: Well, I can never tell when you're being sincere because any concession you give is said in that _tone _of yours.

Helena: _What are you talking about? What tone?_

Afrida: That tone that says I'm conceding but I'm not really conceding the point. I'm _just saying_ I'm conceding the point so that your idiot ass moves on from the subject. There's just no point in arguing with you any further because you're too stupid.

Helena: _I've never told you that you were stupid!_

Afrida: You don't have to tell me, Helena. Your tone says it for you.

Helena growled.

Afrida: Ah ha. I knew it wouldn't be long.

Helena: _What? What now?_

Afrida: If it's not the tone, it's the growl.

Helena: _Afrida, seriously? I'm a fucking wolf. I growl all the time._

Afrida: Hmm mmm. I don't need you to tell me that. I've listened to you growl for more than sixty-five years. Your growls are like words. They all mean different things. There's a growl that means "I'm sexually aroused and I want to fuck you." Wouldn't that be nice to hear right now. But alas … There's a growl that means "I'm pissed off." There's a growl that means, "This is my territory and if you come one step closer I'm going to bite your head off." And there's a growl that means, "Your idiot ass frustrates me so much that my mental capacity to communicate with your stupid ass is reduced below words." And _that _is the growl you did just now.

Helena rolled her eyes. She forgot and growled again, then looked and saw Afrida glaring, silently saying _there's that growl, again_. The alpha wolf sighed.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Ronald Reagan Cafeteria Hall and Break Room for Work Sectors 1-3_**

Several people were sitting around the cafeteria eating as Colonel Hooter Fowler made his way through the dining hall. He said loudly and authoritatively, "What is wrong with you people? I told you to proceed to your DESAs, now. This isn't a drill."

Someone yelled, "We're gettin' there, Hooter. Just let me finish my sandwich." People laughed.

Someone else said, "I don't feel any fucking earthquake. This is Arizona, you stupid idiot. At least make up a disaster we actually have here." More people laughed.

Someone else taunted, "Go get a real job. Something that doesn't require that stupid jacket and hat." Now lots of laughter.

Then, a few people stopped laughing. They were staring down at their glasses of water or soda or whatever they were drinking. All the containers of liquid were shaking. Then the subtle vibrations suddenly grew more intense, until the cafeteria walls started shaking. Now no one was laughing. In fact, a few people let out screams. Everyone got up from their chairs and proceeded walking, some rapidly.

Several people stopped and came running back to Hooter. They all asked some variation of, "Wait, where are we supposed to go again? A DESA? What's that? What do we do? Help us."

Hooter smiled a wide satisfied smile. But that's all he would allow himself. No safety officer, let alone the Chief Safety Officer, should ever tell people looking for emergency help, "I told you so, fucktards. Who's laughing now, bitches?" But the owl thought this to himself, and that was more than enough.

Hooter replied with a voice of calm authority, "Calm down, everyone. Stay away from the walls and ceiling overhangs. Take the stairs to Lower Level Sub 2 and look for your safety marshal. They will be holding a tall sign with the name of your work group."

Colonel Fowler then went to a closet labeled "Safety Alert System (SAS)." He punched in a sequence of numbers that was known only to him and the safety marshals. SAS closets were dispersed throughout the Sonoran Army base. They housed a feed into the main communications network that allowed a safety officer to initiate the emergency safety announcement system, which voiced warnings and instructions over the public intercom. The feed in the SAS also allowed the safety marshal to shut down all systems, except those related to military engagement."

After Hooter opened the SAS closet, he punched in more numbers into a computer screen. Then a woman's voice, which sounded sort of droning and maybe British, began speaking through every intercom system throughout the base. The computerized voice paused at somewhat awkward moments:

_"This is … an emergency. Please proceed to the your … Designated Employee … Safety Area. All non-military engagement … systems will now … shut down._

_This is … an emergency. Please proceed to the your … Designated Employee … Safety Area. All non-military engagement … systems will now … shut down."_

**_# # # # # _**

**_Sonoran Desert Field Combat Unit (FCU) Test Area for Sectors 4 and 5_**

Hammer and Dodson both looked up when they heard the droning British sounding female voice emanate out into the desert.

_"This is … an emergency. Please proceed to the your … Designated Employee … Safety Area. All non-military engagement … systems will now … shut down."_

Dodson said, "What the fuck now? He's really putting on the show."

Suddenly all the AV weapon testing equipment, which was previously lit up, went blank. Hammer's eyes widened, then he exclaimed, "I don't fucking believe this shit. That little owl fuck just shut down all our goddamn testing systems."

Hammer looked up and saw his and Dodson's staff looking at them anxiously. They were scared and trying to wait for official permission to leave. Then the sand beneath their feet seemed to shift slightly, and a few people screamed.

Hammer felt the sand moving, too. But he didn't want to show that he was a little unnerved. Trying to sound as casual and pissed off as possible, he yelled, "Go, damnit. Thanks to that little hooter fuck we can't get any work done now, anyway. Go!"

Dodson quipped, "This shit had better be real or I'm going to fry that stupid bird and eat him for dinner."

Hammer nodded and agreed, "Exactly."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Command Group (MSCG - Work Sector 1)_**

General M didn't believe the emergency announcement when he first heard it, but he couldn't really blame Colonel Fowler for doing what he had to do. No one paid attention to him, and he was just doing his job. M did try to know when the safety drills were going to be and work on Draco, if possible. But for some reason, this drill hadn't been on the planning roster. Since he was here, M followed orders like the good soldier he was. He sent everyone except crew designated as emergency staff to Lower Level Sub 2.

M dialed Quinn. He listened to the rings and waited. He hung up and frowned. Then he sent a text message, "_Colonel Quinn, please report to MSCG 1. It looks like this drill is the real thing. To be safe, we need to shut down the military engagement systems. Head here ASAP."_

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_The Goddess Decides That Maybe She Needs to Take More Control_**

Quinn was still lodged in a corner behind a desk, trying to hide from his mothers, when his phone suddenly started ringing. He gasped and quickly retrieved his phone and shut off the ringer. It was General M. There was almost never a time when Quinn didn't answer the phone when his parents called, especially General M because when he called, it was almost always work related.

But given the circumstances, Quinn couldn't answer the phone and risk his mothers hearing him, so he let the call go to voicemail. But then a moment later, he received his father's text message, which prompted him to quietly mutter, "Shit."

He carefully peered over the rim of the desk. Even though the blinds in Afrida's office were closed, Quinn's keen vision could make out bits of what was going on inside. His mothers were still talking. Or rather, Afrida was talking to his mother. Quinn noted that whatever Afrida was saying must be really engaging, because his mother didn't move from the wall the entire time Afrida was speaking. They seemed so wrapped up in their conversation with each other that they hadn't heard the phone ringing.

Quinn needed to get out of Afrida's work area and over to his father. Now. Just as he was deciding that he was going to have to break the window and try to run before his mothers saw him, he felt the floor underneath him move slightly. The alpha tiger looked around, trying to sort out what was happening. Then he heard a woman's voice droning over the intercom system:

_"This is … an emergency. Please proceed to the your … Designated Employee … Safety Area. All non-military engagement … systems will now … shut down."_

Quinn's eyes widened. Hooter wasn't joking. This was a real earthquake. Quinn had never experienced an earthquake before. He had read about them a great deal, but never before had he felt the ground literally moving underneath him. His android brain whirred, processing this new information. Then he saw a crack line its way through the window by his head, and he remembered that he needed to get to General M.

Quinn waited for the next cycle of the woman's voice on the intercom system. He also helped himself by creating a distraction. He sent one final wave of maenad energy into his mother, who was still recovering from the previous onslaughts. When he heard his mother growl in pain and frustration, he deftly and quickly broke the glass and sped/flew out of the window. He landed with a _humph_ and quickly got to his feet. He sped to MSCG 1, briefly looking back to see if his mothers were coming after him.

But Quinn didn't need to worry, because the goddess was too focused on being heard by her wife to notice his presence. Afrida paced, sometimes with her feet on the floor, sometimes hovering, as she said, "The more I think about this, the more I realize that I've had a whole lot on my mind. I just haven't been talking about it."

Helena heard Colonel Fowler announce an earthquake over the intercom system several minutes ago, but Afrida didn't seem to notice. She was just about to think something in her mind to tell Afrida about the earthquake, when she was suddenly and unexpectedly consumed by yet another current of maenad energy. This one was the worst of all, because she had foolishly let her guard down.

She knew why Quinn did what he did. He wanted her and Afrida to make love, which in his mind would stop them from arguing and most likely bring his other mother back home. While she understood her son's motivations, she was still pissed off at the moment as she growled through the waves of painful sensual energy coursing through her entire body.

Afrida stopped making her point long enough to say, "Oh please, Helena. Really? Control yourself. I don't have any sympathy for you. I'm right here, ready and willing to fuck, and you don't want it. So get your hormones under control and listen to me."

But then Helena heard the droning woman's voice come over the intercom. She looked up and listened to hear what the voice was saying. It was a real emergency. Afrida seemed to hear the voice, but didn't process what it was saying. She seemed to just find it annoying. She waved a hand and suddenly the voice was muted. Helena's excellent hearing could pick up faint traces of the voice. Somehow Afrida had … padded or insulated her office to drown out everything that was going on outside. Helena shook her head, trying to tell Afrida not to do that, but the goddess wasn't having it. She was going to do the talking now.

Afrida: Why do you do that? Why do you so often do other things in your head when I'm talking to you? Am I that boring? It's rude. You know, the only time you give me your undivided attention is when we're making love. That's part of the reason I want to do it so often with you. It's the only time we really communicate. Every other time when I'm trying to talk to you, you're off in your head planning something related to work or thinking about what to teach Quinn or going over ingredients for a meal you plan to cook. Anything but what I'm trying to talk to you about. I'm tired of it.

Helena: _Qu-quake._

Afrida: What?

Helena: _Qu-quake._

Afrida: Cute, Helena. But no. I'm not quaking. I know you don't like constructive criticism, least of all from your spouses. But you're not going to intimidate me or make me doubt myself this time. I'm not going to be afraid to say what I have to say.

Helena: _Noooo. Emergency._

Afrida: Well, I'm at least glad you can see that, Helena. Our marriage _is_ in a state of emergency, and I am going to address it. You know, when I first fell into you and MacArthur's lives I used to ask you why you wanted me to be your spouse. I just couldn't believe my good fortune in finding not one, but two great loves.

Do you remember what you used to tell me, Helena? You said that before, when it was just you and M, the two of you were snuggled together in this … cradle of love. It was safe and comforting, and boring and predictable. But both of you loved me so much and needed me so much because I … _rocked_ … your cradle of love. I made every day more exciting and adventurous and irreverent, in a way that neither you nor MacArthur could have ever imagined on your own.

I used to think that was the perfect way of encapsulating what I gave to you. It warmed my heart. And when I finally accepted that truth, I quit worrying and allowed myself to truly believe I was really your spouse. That I truly belonged to both of you.

Helena: _It's … still … true._

Afrida: Yes, Helena. I feel that coming from you. I feel that you mean that, right now, in your heart. But somewhere along the way something changed. We went from rocking our cradle of love to … shaking it. Not we. _You._ You keep shaking up our lives and our marriage with this maenad stuff. And what's worse, you keep moving the fault lines, Helena. So MacArthur and I never know what new thing is coming to disrupt our lives.

So maybe it's time to return to first principles, Helena. Maybe it's time for me to start rocking the cradle of love again. Be more involved as a spouse.

**_~~ Low background music (Cradle of Love by Billy Idol) begins: _**_Well rock the cradle of love. Rock the cradle of love. Yes the cradle of love don't rock easily it's true. Well rock the cradle of love. I rocked the cradle of love. Yes the cradle of love don't rock easily it's true. Well now, it burned like a ball of fire. When the rebel took a little child bride. To tease yeah so go easy yeah. Cause love cuts a million ways. Shakes the devil when he misbehaves. I aint nobody's fool. Come on shake it up. Whatever I do. Rock the cradle of love. Rock the cradle of love. _

Helena noticed the walls shaking slightly, but Afrida didn't.

Helena: _Have to … get out … of here._

Afrida: Things have gotten out of control, because of you Helena. MacArthur and I have talked about it a bunch of times. We just never wanted to bring it up to you because usually it goes away on its own. But now I see that was the wrong way to handle it. Maybe if we had addressed these delusions in the moment we wouldn't be where we are now. Because this time, it's serious. And plus you promised me, Helena. After what happened the last time you promised me - no more maenad bullshit.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_When General Wolfe is Away Her Team Will … Fight_**

Kara was sitting at her desk going over paper work. General Helena had told her she was going to see her wife, General Afrida. They had had a busy day, but things were winding down now. Helena had been in a really good mood after the Rachel Sullivan interviews. Kara told her to go share the good news with her wife. Everything was fine in MSIG 2, and she would call if a Pentagon general came by or something else happened.

Something else happened.

Fitzgerald Anderson the Weregrizzly and Ian Jones the Werebear had been waiting for a long time to get Brad Baxter alone. Gerald knew that General Helena was wary of him doing something to Brad, and accordingly she had been watching him closely. Gerald kept his shit in check when General Helena was close by because he knew she could both kick his ass and kick him out of the VA Program. But General Helena wasn't around right now, and Gerald had already made sure that he would have enough witnesses on his side to make the punishment process fuzzy.

This unexpected and extended absence of General Helena was the first opportunity Gerald had to really kick the shit out of the fucktard lion for all the shit he had done to him. Brad's latest shit included getting Gerald investigated by Human Resources with a referral to the Comstack Psychiatric Unit for analysis and testing to determine if he was mentally unstable.

The Human Resources write up was annoying, like all the other write ups Brad had orchestrated against Gerald. But a Psych evaluation was dangerous. If he were deemed mentally unfit, the Weregrizzly would lose all chance of ever getting into flight school. Gerald had been slowly stewing to a dangerous boil because it was one thing to get him into trouble, it was another thing to fuck up his entire career. That was just too much for Gerald to take lying down.

The last and final straw was Brad Baxter brushing past Gerald and taunting, "Hey Smoky, I can get you a cheap deal on crazy meds. My family owns stock in every major pharmaceutical company. You name it, you got it." And that was followed by the cat smirk, which was the last thing Gerald remembered before he blacked out with rage.

Everyone jumped and Kara looked up when Gerald roared. The Werelioness had never heard a grizzly bear roar, like really roar. It was terrifyingly loud. After Gerald's deafening roar, things seemed to move in slow motion. Brad turned around, and was met with Gerald's fist landing square on his jaw, sailing him across the room and into a wall.

Ian the Werebear came out of nowhere and jumped on Brad. Brad tried to recover, unleashing a growl of his own, but then Ian and Gerald were both punching and kicking him. Jenna, being the bad ass bitch that she was, wasn't having it. She moved slowly toward the fight, assessing Gerald and Ian's points of weakness. Before Ian knew what hit him, Jenna struck him in the side of the head and then the gut. Gerald turned around when he heard Ian cry out, and was met with a firm kick to his groin. Even a ferocious Weregrizzly can't withstand a well-placed nut cracker. He doubled over in pain.

Most of the staff was so consumed by the outbreak of violence that they didn't really hear Colonel Fowler announce that an earthquake was coming. The few who heard the announcement thought it was another useless safety drill, and certainly not as interesting as the fight going on right in front of them. David Burke, the Were-eagle who was afraid to fly, wasn't involved in the fight. But he stood close by, clearly rooting for Brad's ass to get kicked. He also watched with keen interest as another figure creeped up behind his tormentor, Jenna Wellington.

Brad's face was bloody. He stood and shook his mane out of his face and charged Gerald. He got in a few punches and kicks of his own while Gerald tried to recover from the kick to his balls. Jenna gave the grizzly a targeted shot to the temple, which left the big Grizzly dazed. She was about to go in for the kill, when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her knee that made her fall to the ground.

Jenna turned quickly to see her attacker, and to her surprise it was Deanna Smith, the slut Werelamb Mormon bitch. Jenna's eyes glowed in anger. She looked like she might shift as she said, "Bitch, I'm going to eat your Werelamb ass for dinner."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_The Goddess Tells Her Wife About How Love and Life Works_**

While all hell was breaking lose in her department, Helena remained pinned to the wall by Afrida.

**_~~ Low background music (Cradle of Love by Billy Idol): _**_Rock the cradle of love. Rock the cradle of love. Yes the cradle of love don't rock easily it's true. Sent from Heaven above that's right. To rob the cradle of love. Yes the pages of love don't talk decently it's true. Yeah flesh for your Romeo. Ah yeah baby. I hear you moan. It's easy y' know how to please me yeah. This love starts my rollin train. You can't stop it. It aint in vain. I aint nobody's fool. Come on shake it up. Whatever you do._

Afrida: This new episode … it isn't whatever you think it's about or whatever it is you think you're trying to do. This is really about you, Helena. Don't look at me like that. Yes, you.

You have a darkness inside you. You try to tamp it down. You try to kill it, but it never works. And it never will. You were designed to be a killer, Helena. You were created to kill dispassionately and enjoy it. You have a inbred drive to do it. Maybe it can't be eradicated but … it can be controlled. But you want to do things your way.

Helena: _I'm not … killer._

Afrida: And therein lies the problem, Helena. Be clear. The problem isn't what you are, the problem is your dishonesty. And the main person you lie to is yourself. And because you so routinely lie to yourself about the darkness that's inside of you, you can't see some things for how they truly are.

Helena: _What's that supposed … to mean?_

Afrida: Oh, I'll give you an example. You're turned off and afraid of what Quinn is going through, which is a perfectly natural thing. You've crafted scenarios in which he's a violent rapist or torturer or both. You are repulsed by Quinn's cravings and his emerging alpha nature because right now, as he's going through this, he reflects the darkness in you. The darkness that you work so hard to keep buried. You don't like what you see in Quinn? Well, you're looking in a mirror.

Helena: _You've always been too doting on Quinn. Always taking up for him, even when he's wrong. You don't want to discipline, just be his friend._

Afrida: Oh, I see. Now we're going to start in again about my parenting style. Quinn doesn't need multiple disciplinarians, Helena. You've taken that role. He needs someone he can talk to.

Helena: _About … me."_

Afrida: Oh, fuck off, Helena. Contrary to what you might think, everything isn't about you. We talk about each other, the two of us. Again, seeing things as you want to see them and not as they are.

Helena: _Well, maybe I would like to talk sometimes, or play games. But I can't._

Afrida: Okay fine. We'll share. The next time Quinn does something that requires it, I will discipline him. And the next time there is an opportunity to talk and play games, you do that with him. We'll share from now on. See how simple that is?

Helena: _We'll see. Somehow I suspect your discipline of Quinn will end up looking an awful lot like fun. He'll be asking for more of it. That's how terrible it will be._

Afrida: More likely, no matter how I discipline Quinn you will find a way to recast it as fun and not harsh enough. Because again, you are a master at seeing things however you want to see them.

Speaking of which, you love Kara sooo much and you've cast her as the innocent damsel in distress in this little budding love affair. You must save poor Kara from that beast, Quinn, and his dick that wants to rape and pillage. And of course, you love Kara. She's from the same mold as you. She's in denial about who she really is, just like you are.

Helena: _Are you saying you don't like Kara?_

Afrida: No, Helena. I don't work with Kara or know her as well as you do, obviously. But what I know of Kara I like very much, mostly because I understand her. I _get _her. But I recognize that I like her and get her because she is so much like you, including sharing your same neuroses. You need to see the truth, Helena, or butt out.

Helena: _What … fucking truth, Afrida?_

Afrida: The truth is that, even now with all his raging hormones, Quinn isn't a monster, not even close. He's more of a Pollyanna on the inside than a monster, despite how he appears on the outside. And Kara, while she appears to be a Pollyanna on the outside, is in fact more of a monster on the inside. She has the same darkness as you inside her. And like you, she uses religion, Cat Church and whatever other church, and pure thoughts and honey and goodness and light to cover it up. She tries so hard to suppress it, but it's still there, and when it unleashes, it's going to be dangerous.

Helena: _I've seen inside of Kara. She isn't dark._

Afrida: Oh, Helena. Follow your own advice. You of all people know that what something looks like on the outside has almost nothing to do with what it is on the inside. And again, you're making the mistake that every young empath makes. You think being able to see someone's thought's gives you the real truth about who they are. The person could be delusional, in which case their thoughts don't represent any real truth at all. The person could be well meaning but mistaken. Again, their thoughts are not the truth. Or overly religious, and we know religion does a great job at shaping one's inner reality. But that inner reality may not have anything to do with the reality of the real world. You're like those people who depend so much on GPS to tell them where they're going, they can't see the building right in front of their eyes.

Helena: _You're saying Quinn and Kara shouldn't be together because of … Kara?_

Afrida: I'm not saying anything at all about Quinn and Kara. They seem to be falling in love, which is wonderful. And as long as the two of them are honest with each other about the good and bad within them, they will be fine together. I'm talking only about you, and your need to control everything, and the danger you're going to be in when you don't see things as they are.

Helena: _And what don't you think I'm seeing about Kara?_

Afrida: I know you sometimes treat me as if I'm the stereotypical dumb blonde, but I'm in fact the chief Science Officer of the VA Program, Helena. And as a scientist, I happen to know something about, oh, I don't know … science. And science includes genetics. Kara looks like a sweet, demure "mini me" version of you. But look more closely. She is the culmination of 50 generations of deliberate inbreeding, designed to promote certain traits and suppress others.

Kara "Leonine" Wellington was bred to be a sadistic, evil, dispassionate Werelioness queen of the most powerful family, some say in the world. Assad, her father was deliberately selected to sire her because he is the epitome of evil, dispassionate and sadistic. Yet Kara thinks she can concoct some means to escape who she is. She can't. She can control what she is, but her only hope is to be honest with herself. This is going to be good for you, actually.

Helena: _Why?_

Afrida: Because you don't know it yet, but the person in this budding young romance between Quinn Tiger and Queen-to-be Kara Wellington whose going to need the most help controlling their demented inner self won't be your son, it's going to be your future daughter-in-law. But since the two of you are exactly alike, you're going to have to grow yourself before you can truly mentor her. She needs to be honest with herself, and so do you, Helena. And since you can't be honest with yourself right now, you need to do the next best thing.

Helena: _And what is that, in your esteemed opinion?_

Afrida: You need to butt out of their relationship. Let them work things out on their own. Trust your son. You've taught him everything you can, Helena. But now he has to rely on that and make his own choices. He has to grow up on his own. He's going to make some mistakes, but he's got everything his parents gave to him inside him, so he's going to be fine.

And as for Kara, I fear you're going to be so blinded by your own delusions and what you expect to see that you're not going to see the truth. In fact, I'm sure of it. When all is said and done, Kara will be more than able to handle her sexy beast named Quinn Tiger. In fact, it may be Quinn Tiger who needs saving from his darling Werelioness. Kara doesn't need you to rescue her, Helena. She can handle herself just fine.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_An External Danger Shakes Up General Helena's Team_**

**_~~ Low background music (Cradle of Love by Billy Idol): _**_These are the wages of love. Rock the cradle of love. These are the wages of love. Ooh yeah. Rock the cradle. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. Well it burned like a ball on fire. When the rebel took a little child bride. To tease yeah I know how to please you yeah. Well my love starts a rollin train. You can't stop it. It aint in vain. I aint nobody's fool. Come on shake it up. Whatever I do. Rock the cradle of love. Rock the cradle of love. _

With Helena not around, Kara was in charge. It had taken her a moment to process what had happened, but now she was standing and alert. She knew she needed to stop this fight before things escalated even further. She started with the easiest target first.

Kara yelled, "Jenna, stop it!"

Jenna paused, but still kept her glinting cat green eyes on Deanna, whose blue eyes were also glinting. The Werelamb was threatening to shift. Then suddenly, she pulled back her jacket and exposed a handgun inside a holster that was strapped across her chest.

Kara asked cautiously, "Deanna, what are you doing with that gun?"

Deanna nervously replied, "I have sentry duty later tonight." Then to Jenna, "I don't want to do it, but … I'll protect myself if you shift and try to attack me. I can hit you with a single shot. I was an A student in mercenary school."

Jenna growled and said, "Go ahead. You'll be in a for a big surprise if you think that will do anything to hurt me, and you'll pay for the miscalculation."

Brad exclaimed, "Oh my fucking god. I thought it would be Smoky who shot up the place, but the lamb bitch is going postal."

Kara frowned. She sensed Jenna, and her sister-cousin wasn't the least bit nervous about the prospect of being shot by Deanna. She wasn't worried that she would die, or even be seriously injured. Werelions were strong and healed fast, but they could be injured or killed by a bullet. So Kara was confused about why Jenna was so confident in the face of Deanna's weapon. She made a mental note to ask her later. But right now, she needed to de-escalate this situation.

Kara didn't say another word, but instead moved quickly and rapidly, so fast that most of the team didn't even register what she'd done. In a series of fluid movements, she disarmed Deanna and dislodged the bullets from the gun.

Kara answered Deanna, who looked shocked and suddenly afraid, "I was the top student in mercenary school."

Jenna growled and started to charge Deanna, until Kara grabbed her by the arm and whispered, "Do you really want to be seen as the Werelioness who viciously took a piece out of a cute little Mormon Werelamb? People have their cell phones out, ready to record and post the attack on the internet. You know her family rules Utah and Werelambs control almost every major religious organization in the world. What do you think my mother will say if you cause the Mormon Church and possibly every other denomination to come after the Wellington pride."

Jenna calmed down a bit and backed off. She blinked the glint out of her eyes and sighed, "Fuck it. But the bitch hit me. Hard."

Kara nodded at Jenna in approval, but then heard movement behind her. Gerald had grabbed Brad by the leg he had been using to kick him. In one easy motion, he tossed Brad into the wall. Kara jumped in between Gerald and Brad just as Gerald was charging for another strike. Gerald was so enraged that he pushed past Kara, knocking her down. She used Gerald's momentum against him and pushed him in the same direction he was already traveling. At the same time she swiped his legs from underneath him, which sent him careening past Brad and into the wall.

Brad yelled out, "Yeah, bitch."

Kara glared at Brad and said, "Be quiet, Brad. Maybe if you didn't do so much crap to Gerald he wouldn't have been provoked. And Ian, I'm really surprised by you."

Ian hung his head a little. But Gerald was just about to go for another charge when the droning female voice said:

_"This is … an emergency. Please proceed to the your … Designated Employee … Safety Area. All non-military engagement … systems will now … shut down."_

Someone asked, "What's that about."

Someone else replied, "Hooter was on the intercom earlier. He said something about an earthquake. He said this isn't a drill."

Kara frowned, but a few people laughed. Then someone said, "He must be playing some kinda practical joke then. Arizona doesn't have earthquakes, at least not ones that would require the DESA system to be activated."

Kara took charge and said, "It doesn't matter what we think about Colonel Fowler's announcement. If it's not a drill, we're following all the safety protocols. You guys need to stop fighting. We have work to do. If you follow my orders and get yourselves under control, none of this has to go to General Helena. Now let's go."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Command Group (MSCG - Work Sector 1)_**

**_Quinn Tiger Faces a Moral Dilemma and Falls Short_**

General M looked up to see Colonel Quinn rushing toward him. Quinn thought it best to start with a good lie so his father didn't take control with an unknown question. The alpha tiger smoothly said, "Sorry, General M. My phone must have been in a dead zone when you called. I got your text. I've already started shutting down the systems. The codes are keyed into my android brain."

General M nodded and said, "Good. Once you're sure all the major weapons are deactivated we can go through the more basic stuff."

Quinn interjected, "Can you take care of that? I was going over to Mother's sector to see if they needed any help. I have to go over because I don't have the codes to her facilities in my brain."

M frowned and asked, "Why would you need those, anyway. You know your Mother. I'm sure she and Kara have it all taken care of by now. And we still have more to do here. Unless … Is there some reason in particular why you think we should go over there to help, son?"

This was Tiger Quinn's chance to do the right thing. He knew full well there was a good reason why he and General M might need to go over and disengage the weapons in his mother's facilities. He knew that Helena and Afrida were talking … no, arguing … in Afrida's office, and didn't seem to be aware that an earthquake was happening. But in order to give his father that information, he would have to explain how he knew his mother's whereabouts, which meant placing himself in Afrida's empty work area at the same time that Ben's bloody shell suddenly reappeared.

Quinn inner android pressed for doing the right thing. _You need to go help your mother. This is serious._

But Quinn's babies were just as adamant. _Kara and a whole team of people are there. They've been trained to be fully functional when your mother isn't there. If you start talking to your father, who knows where this will go. If you want plausible deniability about Ben, no way can you admit you were in Afrida's office._

Quinn felt sick on the inside, but he let the babies win and shook his head. _No._

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_The Goddess Brings Up An Unpleasant Episode With Her Wife_**

Helena was still pinned to the wall in Afrida's office, and Afrida was still pacing, sometimes hovering, and talking. It felt good to the goddess to get all of this out.

**_~~ Low background music (Cradle of Love by Billy Idol): _**_Rock the cradle of love. Rock the cradle of love. Sent from Heaven above. That's right. To rock the cradle of love. Rock the cradle of love. Yeah cradle of love. That's me mama. I robbed the devil of love. All right. Cradle of love. If you teaze me tonight. If you sleaze me all right. If you appeaze me tonight. And let me ease you. Cradle of love._

Afrida: Do you remember the last time you had some vision about the secret to life or the way to heaven, Helena. The last time you did this you got so consumed with blood lust that you attacked me. You … bit me against my will.

Helena: _I can't believe you're going here again._

Afrida: I promised I wouldn't. But you also promised me no more maenad shit.

Helena: _This isn't maenad shit._

Afrida: It never is to you, Helena. Until after the fact. Not until you're drunk with bloodlust and biting me against my will.

Helena: _I didn't. You gave me permission._

Afrida: I said the words with my mouth, Helena, because I read your mind and I knew you were about to do it anyway. You were so far gone you couldn't help it. And I knew you wouldn't be able to take the guilt once your cravings were sated. So I said yes with my lips, but you could read my mind and you knew I didn't want you to bite me. So effectively you bit me against my will. You penetrated me with your fangs against my will. What do we call the act of penetrating someone against their will, Helena?

Helena looked visibly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything.

Afrida: Don't look like that, Helena. You apologized and I forgave you. I'm not trying to rehash this to make you feel like shit. But I moved on from what happened partly because you promised it would never happen again. And part of making sure that you never get to that state of bloodlust again means not doing maenad shit like what you're doing now. Trying to … deny who you are. Look at you right now. You can barely control yourself. What will you do to me when your cravings get the better of you this time? Something worse than biting me against my will?

Helena: _That was … a mistake. You gave me permission. I'm not denying myself._

Afrida: First, biting me when I didn't want you to do so wasn't a mistake. It was entirely predictable given that you knew what would happen if you denied yourself for too long. The cycle has happened enough times that you knew what would happen. Second, you could read my thoughts and sense me. So no matter what I said with my lips, you knew what I was feeling. You knew that I didn't want to be bitten, and you did it anyway. Third, you _are _denying yourself. If you're not, then make love to me right now. Hmmm. That's what I thought. You are what you fear Quinn will become. It's so easy, Helena. Just accept who you are. I do. I love you, all of you.

Helena: _Doing this for you. I … love you._

Afrida: You _believe_ you are doing this for me. I don't doubt that now. But that's just more of the same. Your maenad shit is never just about you. It's always to help M, or Quinn, or world peace, or your country, or for some noble cause. This time it's for me. But it's really about you, and your need to be … pure and … good.

Helena: _You make wanting those things sound like it's a bad thing. _

Afrida: No, Helena. You misunderstand. One of the things I love most about you is that you try so hard to be the best person you can. I find it especially admirable given some of the atrocities that were done to you. My point is that the way that you go about trying to be good is counter productive. It goes against your nature, and eventually you end up behaving in ways that are not so good and hurtful to others.

Helena: _I … I don't agree with that._

Afrida: You don't, Helena? Ask Angela Wellington whether she thinks you always behave in a way that's good. Ask Angela if you can sometimes be … hurtful? You knew Angela didn't want to fuck you but you made her do it anyway. Because you won a contest with Arielle and you knew that Arielle as queen could command Angela to do whatever she was told. In the moment, you took pleasure out of fucking Angela against her will.

Helena: _Angela … liked …_

Afrida: Sex is full of so many gray areas, isn't it? Yes, by the end of your little enterprise, Angela was cumming and clinging to you. So that makes the fact that initially she didn't want to even touch you go away, right? No, Helena. Part of the alpha conquest for you was taking her, making her body enjoy something that her mind didn't want, at least at first. It was the exact same pleasure you took out of biting me when you knew I didn't want it. The fact that I came is, in a sense, not the point.

Helena's eyes were filling with tears. The alpha wolf looked disturbed and ashamed, but she kept quiet.

Afrida: I'm sorry if this hurts. It's not my intent. But I do want to force you to think about the likely consequences of what you're doing now; and the only way I know how to do that is to point out what has happened in the past.

You want to rescue Kara from Quinn, but who was there to rescue her aunt Angela from you? What's the matter, Helena? The ugliness of alpha dominance looks a bit better when a woman does it, but frightening as fuck when a man does it? You don't like how the alpha nature looks when it's worn by your 6'4," 250 pound son? I'm not trying to hurt you, Helena. I really am not. But you are … dangerous when you get like this. The danger isn't apparent to you today. It's going to come later. I want you disturbed enough to put a stop to this now, before something really bad happens.

Afrida moved in to kiss Helena. She placed a hand on Helena's belt and gazed into her wife's eyes. She silently asked for permission to touch.

Helena: _Nooo. Can't. Not maenad shit. I love you. For you._

Afrida: Argggghh. Stop it. Just stop it. You make me so fucking angry. I just want to hurl something and break it into a thousand pieces.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_Things Get Critical For Helena's Team_**

The group was still standing around. Kara stood with her arms folded and watched as everyone slowly dispersed. Her demeanor said _if anyone tries anything you'll have to deal with me. _She was expecting Gerald to try something again, and Brad was still growling, mostly at Ian. Brad said, "I'm really gonna get you, little punk bear fuck."

Gerald interjected, "Do it and catch another beat down, motherfucker."

Jenna said, "Try it and next time I won't just _kick_ your balls."

Kara interjected, making eye contact with Brad, Gerald and Jenna, "If any of you do anything to anyone, I'm going to beat you myself and file a report that goes in your record and costs you at least some serious time off from work. Now stop it!"

Suddenly, everything started shaking. At first, the shaking was light, but then it steadily grew more intense. Everyone dove to the floor and waited it out. There was a brief lull, then the shaking resumed with even greater force. People were screaming now.

Kara yelled out, "Get to the center of the room, away from the shelves and walls. Protect your heads. We have to deactivate the-"

The computer systems on the wall went haywire. Lights began blinking, one after the other, and a female, slightly British voice filled the work area:

_WARNING. WARNING. _

Everyone stopped screaming and flailing and stared at the computer screens on the walls. Their collective eyes widened in shock.

_Missile Launch Sequence … Activated. _

_Missile Launch Sequence … Activated. _

_Missile Launch Sequence … Activated. _

_Missile Launch Sequence … Activated. _

_Missile Launch Sequence … Activated. _

_Missile Launch Sequence … Activated …_

The announcement that missiles were preparing to launch went on and on. Kara lost count. She ran over to a computer screen embedded in a desk console. Green lights representing a single underground missile were rapidly lighting up.

Kara whispered, "Oh my god …"

Were-eagle David Burke came next to Kara and counted with his eyes. He said, "They're all activated. All sixty missiles, and ten of them house nuclear warheads."

Gerald came on the other side of Kara and asked, "What do we do? We have to fucking do something."

Someone screamed, "Where's General Helena?!"

Kara held up a hand, "Quiet. Calm down. I'll call General Helena. Jenna, Deanna, Gerald, Ian and David … Go to your posts and run the algorithm shutdown sequences, in order. We need to deactivate everything using the base protocols. Do it, now!"

Kara tried to look calm, but inside her heart was racing. She speed-dialed Helena and listened to endless ringing, then voicemail. Kara, who didn't curse much, if at all, clenched her jaw and said, "Shit! Where are you, Helena?"

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

Helena watched as Afrida floated/paced. She had been doing this back and forth silently for several minutes. Helena supposed this was a good thing, since the last thing the goddess had said was that she wanted to hurl something. Helena had braced herself, assuming any minute she was going to be tossed from the wall, but nothing happened.

Helena: _What are we doing?_

Afrida: I am trying to calm myself down.

Just then, Helena's phone started ringing. She recognized the ring. It was Kara's special jingle. She immediately struggled to reach into her pocket to retrieve her phone. She knew if Kara was calling there might be a problem in her work area.

Helena had managed to fish the phone out of her pocket and was about to answer it, when Afrida abruptly said, "No!"

Helena tried answering anyway, but mysteriously, the phone was dead. Helena growled.

Afrida: You're growling again.

Helena: _I need to check my phone. It could be an emergency._

Afrida: _This _is an emergency, and you're staying right where you are. Seriously, you can go break up a fight with Brad Baxter later. Maybe a good ass kicking will do him some good. Wasn't that your philosophy with Quinn when he acted up? It's not like the world is coming to an end.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_General Helena's Team Faces Disaster and Rises to the Occasion_**

Except that the world _was _coming to an end. Kara reluctantly put her phone back in her pocket. She had tried calling several times and texting Helena. After the first call her phone started going directly to voicemail. Kara was more than a little worried about her manager, because it was so unlike Helena to be unavailable. But she couldn't worry about that now, because sixty missiles, including some carrying nuclear warheads, were set to launch to god knows where.

Kara turned to her scared shitless team of young soldiers and said, "General Helena's not answering. Something must have her really tied up. We're going to have to do this on our own. Give me status."

Kara listened to stats from her crew as she raced to the main control deck.

Deanna: I tried the basic deactivate program. Nothing.

Jenna: I tried the Stage 2 algorithm. System failure.

Ian: I tried the sequencing code that ties into the remote underground mainframe. I couldn't get the host and the remote to talk to each other.

Gerald: I tried the special override via the host. Not approved.

David: I tried the Stage 2 override. Not approved.

Kara was typing her own codes into the system mainframe as she listened to the dismal news from everyone. She typed in code after code and saw _Not Approved _appear on the screen each time. Jenna, Deanna, Gerald, Ian and David tried typing in code after code. Nothing. Several other crew members watched over each of their shoulders. Some people were pacing and getting hysterical.

Then the droning female, slightly-British voice filled the work area:

_WARNING. WARNING. _

_Please maintain … minimum … safe distance. Please maintain … minimum … safe distance._

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 10 minutes._

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 10 minutes._

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 10 minutes._

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 10 minutes._

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 10 minutes…._

And on and on the voice went, counting through sixty missiles.

Ian exclaimed, "Random coordinates?! What the fuck does that mean?"

Kara answered while she moved, "It means the missiles are just going to fire randomly and we don't know where they'll end up."

Gerald said, "What the fuck? How is that even possible?"

Kara answered, "That's not supposed to happen. There must be a glitch in the system. Or the earthquake somehow affected the launching mechanisms."

The building was still shaking, but no one on the team was noticing at this point. They were too focused on trying to stop sixty missiles from launching into the atmosphere and going to unknown places. Most of the young crew was unabashedly freaking out at this point, except for Kara, who was thinking. And Jenna, Deanna, Brad, Gerald, Ian and David, who waited for their _de facto_ leader, Kara, to make a decision.

Kara heard the droning female voice say over and over:

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 7 minutes._

She made a decision, and spoke quickly, "Listen carefully. We have one chance to deactivate the missiles remotely. There's a coordinated sequencing program that's a … a last resort … total shutdown of the whole underground system. It's – It was designed intentionally to be difficult to do because it's going to cost a lot to reset everything. But we have no choice. I need my two best mathematicians."

Everyone looked at the two known choices – Deanna and Jenna. The Werelamb and the Werelioness stared at each other. They weren't exactly glaring, but they were mutually appreciating the irony that fate had bestowed on the situation.

Kara instructed, "Jenna, you sit on one side of the table. Deanna you sit on the other. When I start the program, it's going to run through a series of calculations. It … it requires each of you to input your own p-part of the answer. You have to work together. Time it. The problems aren't that hard. It's more about the coordination and pacing. If you mess up, it starts over."

Deanna and Jenna both looked at Kara, mouths agape. Kara stared at them both and said, "You guys need to do this. You just need to focus, and work together."

Deanna and Jenna took deep breaths, and Kara started the sequencing program. Jenna started solving her part of the problem and Deanna followed. Jenna moved quickly, then Deanna followed, but the Werelamb accidentally touched Jenna's hand and almost made her press the wrong number.

Jenna exclaimed, "Watch what you're doing, you stupid slut bitch."

Deanna came back with, "Don't talk to me like that. I … I'm not a slut. And I'm tired of your abuse."

Jenna solved and pressed the screen while she jibed, "You don't sound too sure about the slut part. And you haven't seen abuse, yet. Wait until I deal with you for –"

Everyone was becoming increasing agitated and looking on in horror as the argument between Deanna and Jenna escalated. All the while the droning female voice emanated throughout the room.

Deanna interjected, "Just shut up! I can't concentrate."

Jenna retorted, "Bitch, you can't concentrate when it's quiet, so-"

It was hard to tell which of them made the mistake first, but both sets of hands pressed the wrong button, and the screen went black. Kara gasped, and everyone else reacted with everything from cries to screams.

Kara pressed the reset button and grabbed the collars of both Jenna and Deanna. She growled out, "You know what? Right now, I'm sorry that maybe our entire country is in the hands of the two of you. You don't deserve the honor. Do you understand what's about to happen? We have maybe one more chance to get this right, or millions of innocent people are going to die. One. More. Chance. The two of you are the only ones capable of doing this and you're sitting here doing this asinine shit."

Both Deanna and Jenna looked ashamed. Kara continued, "Since both of you need therapy and we don't have time for that, I'm going to need the two of you to kiss and make up. Now. I don't care how you do it, but you have one minute to get it done."

Neither Deanna or Jenna said anything until Kara yelled, "Fucking do it!"

Deanna took a deep breath and quickly spat out, "I'm … I'm jealous of you, okay. I just … I just wanted to be your friend, and you're always so mean. And it hurts because you're so perfect. Your hair is perfectly blonde and your eyes are perfectly cat green and you're tall and slim but shapely with nice breasts. And you're cool and you can dance and you have a … a cute .. fiance."

Jenna's eyes widened. It was unclear whether she was horrified or about to burst out in laughter, but she held her face in suspended animation as Deanna talked. Brad Baxter winked at Deanna and flicked his mane.

Deanna ignored him and continued, "And you know how to do bad stuff and not get punished for it. I want to do bad stuff, but I don't know how and I'm .. I'm too fucking scared to take risks like that. Ooh, I said _fucking_. Anyway, I don't want this to just be my boring life and then I get married and have sex with the same boring guy for the rest of my boring forever. This job is like maybe the highlight of my life. And you know that. And it's not the highlight for you. And you still treat me like shit. So, I'm sorry."

A male voice sang out in his best Rick James, "Jenna is … coooold blooded."

Kara yelled, "Shut up!"

The person replied, "Sorry, Colonel Kara. I quote Rick James when I get nervous."

Everyone stared at Jenna, including Kara, who raised her eyebrows to say _don't just sit there. Say something._

Jenna did what may have been one of the longest blinks in history, then stared Deanna straight in the face and said, "I'm … I'm jealous of you, too. I'm not perfect. I'm far from perfect. I'm a world class bitch. All the shit I do during the day is a distraction so that I don't have to think about who I really am. But at night, when it's just me … I feel like shit. I treat you like shit because … everyone likes you. People fear me. B-but they don't like me. They … genuinely like you. I mean, who wouldn't like a lamb.

Several people said, "Awwwww."

Jenna resisted glaring and continued, "I spend hours trying to look like this, and it's all fake. You have beautiful thick brown hair, and you're the perfect height, not lanky like me. And you have beautiful blue eyes and you're gorgeous in a "girl next door" kind of way. And I most admire that you're always … yourself. I pretend so much I don't know who I really am. And … I'm afraid that if people saw the real me they would hate me. I actually like you, a lot."

Deanna smiled wide and asked, "Really?"

Jenna smiled wide and said, "Really. So I'm sorry for all the mean shit I've ever done to you, including that … thing in the storage closet."

Brad smiled at Deanna and pushed his cheek out with his tongue, simulating giving head. Deanna was so happy she didn't care.

Jenna concluded, "So… maybe … if you want … we can practice JAW's rules of life numbers three and four."

Deanna smiled wide and asked, "What are they?"

Jenna said, "Rule number four: Everybody who's mostly bad wants to be a little bit good. And rule number three: Everybody who's mostly good wants to be a little bit bad. I'll help you be a little bit bad … if you help me be a little bit good."

Deanna exclaimed, "Okay. Cool. Let's do that."

Jenna's eyes widened momentarily and she clenched her jaw, as if she had the sensation of a gerbil or a squirrel suddenly running up her pants leg, but she was sitting in front of the President of the United States and couldn't react to it. She sounded like a Stepford wife when she said, "I _totally_ want that. But first we need to stop these missiles from launching, or we won't have anywhere to party."

Kara breathed a sigh of brief relief and restarted the coordinated sequencing program. She and Jenna were sister-cousins and best friends, and had also been bred to have a symbiotic relationship, something like a very powerful Were bond. Kara could therefore sense Jenna's thoughts and feelings during her confession to Deanna and knew the Werelioness was lying the entire time.

Jenna wasn't jealous of Deanna. She thought herself pretty close to perfect, and being a bitch was a part of that perfection. She did the shit she did to people because it amused her, and she didn't give it the slightest thought or feel guilty about it when she was home with her thoughts. She didn't care that people liked Deanna; it didn't change that she thought the Werelamb was a stupid slut bitch. She rather liked that people feared her because bad ass bitches were supposed to instill fear in their inferiors, which almost everyone else was. She hated lambs, except as dinner. She didn't spend hours trying to look beautiful. She woke up each morning looking effortlessly stunning. She didn't think Deanna was particularly attractive. She hated girls next door. She knew exactly who she was – Jeanine aka Jenna Angela nickname JAW Wellington, and she didn't give a shit whether people hated her. In fact, she rather liked that they did.

Kara thought it was the most wonderful, well-delivered set of lies Jenna had ever told, and she absolutely loved her for it. She nervously held her breath as she watched the genius Werelamb and Werelioness who had made up and were now totally friends work their way through the coordinated sequencing program.

Deanna: A triacontagon has 30 sides.

Jenna: And a chiliagon has 1,000.

Deanna: There are 1,000 lockers and 1,000 kids …

Jenna and Deanna moved smoothly through the sequences, quietly talking to each other as they worked out compatible math problems. Their hands danced in unison over the computer screen. It was beautiful to watch, like a couple doing ballroom dancing.

The slightly British voice droned:

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 58 seconds._

Everyone was bouncing nervously and watching the computer screen, but Jenna and Deanna were in their own world, their fingers dancing through math problems. They were focusing only on each other, talking through math equations and riddles.

Deanna: Next in the Fibonacci sequence are 55, 89, 144.

Jenna: The number 144 has fifteen factors, and the eighth factor is 12.

Together they said, "And twelve times five is … sixty."

Jenna and Deanna punched in the number sixty at the same time on their parts of the computer screen. The final math answer, not coincidentally, equaled the total number of missiles. When the sequence ended, the hands of the Werelamb and the Werelioness were touching each other. They waited. The droning voice said:

_Random coordinates: Missile launch countdown will begin in T minus 21 seco-. Missile launch override … Accepted._

Jenna and Deanna let out a deep exhale. Without realizing it, they were holding each other's hands. Then suddenly, Deanna came across the table and hugged Jenna tightly. Jenna looked constipated, but eventually hugged her back. Everyone in the room screamed and shouted for joy as they came over to congratulate the two bad ass bitches who just saved the country, maybe the world, from getting bombed into the next century.

Kara smiled proudly at Jenna and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_Don't Breathe Easy Just Yet, Alpha Wolf_**

After what seemed to Helena like forever, Afrida finally stopped hovering/pacing. She elegantly stepped out of the air onto the floor and walked over to Helena. Afrida's eyes were no longer like twin balls of sunlight, but had returned to their normal ocean blue color. Helana felt herself slowly slide down the wall until she was eye level once again with Afrida.

Afrida placed a hand on her hip and calmly said, "I'm ready to communicate with you now."

Helena: _Okay._

Afrida: I see maenads.

Helena: _What?_

Afrida: Sorry. I couldn't resist a little _Sixth Sense_. But seriously, you have it all wrong, Helena. Maenads are about mirth and fun and sex and earthy goodness. You've latched on to the religious nut job aspect of the whole thing way too much. You have this suffering complex. That's it. You want to be exceptional through suffering.

Helena: _I don't think suffering is exceptional. Everyone has … problems. Everyone has their own … terrible stories to get over._

Helena didn't know what exactly she said. If she had known, she wouldn't have said it. Suddenly she felt herself sliding back up the wall, and the sunlight glow returned to Afrida's eyes.

Afrida's intoned, "Ooooooh. You see, Helena. I was finally calming down. I got to vent a little, and I was starting to feel a bit … better. But that shit that you just said … just pisses me off all over again."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

Kara was giving orders related to standard emergency protocols. Everyone was humming through their assigned tasks, still feeling giddy about avoiding what was about to be a catastrophe of epic proportions.

David Burke strolled past the missile tracking console and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened as he stuttered out, "C-c-c-c-c-c-c-olonel K-k-k-ara."

Kara casually asked, "What, David?"

David exclaimed, "T-t-t-t-t-he … s-s-ystem isn't dead. Lights …are coming on. One. Two. Three. There's another one. Some of the missiles are going live again."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_The Goddess Explains How Some People Have Good Times and Noodle Salad_**

The goddess was once again giving Helena a piece of her mind. Helena watched as once again, her wife was pacing/hovering.

The goddess intoned, "You can't ever just be happy, can you? You always have to manufacture some problem. I used to think I loved unpredictability. Now, what I wouldn't pay just to get a long period of mind numbing pallidity. And you, with your bullshit about _everyone has their own terrible stories._

The goddess whined out the quote about terrible stories mockingly. She corrected, "No, Helena. No. That's where you're wrong. Not everyone has these terrible stories. Some of us have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in _this_ room. But a lot of people, that's their story. Good times, noodle salad.

These people don't have stress and drama. Why, we know some of them. There's an entire pride of lionesses at the Wellington residence who've lived that life going back as far as they can remember. As I speak, they're sitting around their rooftop pool on the 75th floor of the Wellington skyscraper. They're wearing bikinis laced with diamonds and pearls while a waiter whose name is always Jeeves, no matter what his real name is, mixes cocktail after cocktail. They're only frowning because they're mulling over the pleasant problem of whether their next drink will be a Gin and Tonic, or an Appletini.

They lounge by the pool and muse about whether to buy five million shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock or three million shares of Google. It's hard to choose. Then finally they decide, "What the heck. Let's buy both. How can we go wrong with that decision? Then they lean back and soak up the last rays of the sun until dinner time, when Jeeves brings them, you guessed it – a topped off cocktail and noodle salad."

Helena: _I'm not trying to be like the Wellingtons. You know what they are._

Afrida: Oh for fuck's sake, Helena. I don't care about your obsessive hatred of the Wellingtons. You'd better get used to them, since you may soon be in-laws with them. And yes, I _know _the Wellingtons, in both the behavioral and biblical senses. As do you and MacArthur. I was there for the group fucking, remember? Although I can't say that I became intimately acquainted with _every single _Wellington vagina, as did you. But then you always were an over achiever.

Helena resisted the urge to retort. She hated Afrida's sarcasm more than she hated MacArthur's. It was an annoying capability they both shared, and heaven help her when her two spouses played off each other. The alpha wolf kept her mouth shut, but her glowing eyes told Afrida exactly how she felt about being reminded of her sexcapades with the Wellington sisters.

Afrida: Helena, I swear, you make me want to just … take some of your shit and … crash it into more shit. If I were home, I would hurl that hideous vase you bought from that street vendor in Sao Paulo out the fucking window, and damn whoever's on the street below. Haha. By your philosophy, if the vase crashed onto their heads that would just be a terrible story for them, now wouldn't it? Just terrible things that happen to random people, right Helena?

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

Kara, along with everyone else, came over to the missile tracking console and asked, "How many came alive?"

David Burke said, "S-ix. Six lights are now blinking green and active. Two of them are housing nuclear warheads."

The droning female British voice droned:

_WARNING. WARNING. _

_Missile Launch Override … Deactivated. _

_Missile Launch Override … Deactivated. _

_Missile Launch Override … Deactivated. _

_Missile Launch Override … Deactivated. _

_Missile Launch Override … Deactivated. _

_Missile Launch Override … Deactivated. _

**_# # # # # _**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development(SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

Helena watched confused, as the goddess came slowly toward her and said, "Help me help you."

Helena didn't think anything. Her eyes widened a little. Afrida said again, more emphatically, "Help me, help you."

Helena still didn't know what to say. Her eyes widened a bit more and she frowned as Afrida said, now sounding like she was begging, "Help me … help you."

Helena: _You're doing Jerry Maguire. The scene when Tom Cruise is talking to Cuba Gooding while he air dries after his shower. But what the hell does that even mean?_

The goddess suddenly floated away from the alpha wolf and turned her sunlight eyes on bright. Helena clamped her own eyes shut against her wife's, literally, burning gaze.

She heard the goddess's voice boom, "It means I've had enough of your religious maenad bullshit, Helena. I want my fucking noodle salad!"

**_# # # # # _**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_Helena's Team Faces It's Greatest Test_**

Colonel Kara forced herself to remain calm, yet again. She said, "Okay, everyone. Still no answer from General Helena. We're going to have to do this one more time. We've got six missiles. Has anyone got anything?"

Gerald said, "No, Colonel Kara. The problem is … those missiles shouldn't even be working. Deanna and Jenna shut the whole system down. So now all our systems are down, and we can't get them back up."

Ian whined, "How are the missiles even alive? It's like they have their own mind or something. What are we gonna-"

Kara interrupted, "We only have one choice. We have to take them out manually, in the field. We have to shoot them down. Except for the two housing the nuclear warheads. We have to detonate those while they're still underground.

Brad asked, "Yeah, but the detonate lever for the nuke missiles is at the top of the oil rig tower. That's over 2,000 feet high. How are we gonna get up there?"

Kara started to answer, "We're just going to have to figure it-"

Then came the female British voice that everyone now hated:

_WARNING. WARNING._

_Sequential launch initiated. Sequential launch initiated._

_Please maintain … minimum … safe distance. Please maintain … minimum … safe distance._

_Missile launch sequence reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 10 minutes for … Coordinate 29.7631° N, 95.3631° W. Houston, Texas._

_Missile launch sequence reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 11 minutes for … Coordinate 39.7392° N, 104.9842° W. Denver, Colorado._

_Missile launch sequence reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 12 minutes for … Coordinate 36.0800° N, 115.1522° W. Las Vegas, Nevada._

_Missile launch sequence reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 13 minutes for … Coordinate 37.7750° N, 122.4183° W. San Francisco, California._

_Missile launch sequence, nuclear engagement, reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 14 minutes for … Coordinate 34.0522° N, 118.2428° W. Los Angeles, California._

_Missile launch sequence, nuclear engagement, reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 15 minutes for … Coordinate 19.1300° N, 99.4000° W. Mexico City, Mexico._

Brad Baxter exclaimed, "San Francisco. Fuck. Some of the best shit that my family owns is there."

Kara roared, "And innocent people, Brad."

Everyone in MSIG 2 was now officially freaking the fuck out, again. Kara's voice boomed, "Stop it! Quiet. Everybody shut the hell up! Listen. We can't stop these six missiles remotely. All that means is we're going to have to do it the old fashioned way, the way we were first trained to do it. I need everyone to stay frosty.

Kara's voice was commanding and soothing. Everything felt it wash over them like a warm wave, and they gradually pulled themselves together. Kara intoned, "We're going to all be like Fonzie. And what's Fonzie like?

Everyone breathed out in unison, "Cooooool."

Kara replied, "That's right. We're all going to be cool. We can do this. We're a team. We love our country. We swore to protect it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Well this time, the enemy is us."

Kara turned to Brad, Gerald and Ian and said, "We've got two drones and a flyer ready to go right now. If we need to do it, we can lock the missiles onto them and destroy them that way, but we have to make at least one kill shot before we do that. Brad, go take the flyer. Gerald's going to interface with you and work Drone 1. Ian, you're going to interface with Brad and work Drone 2.

The first job the three of you are going to have is to make one kill shot. We've got three chances to shoot down at least one of those missiles. Go. Now!"

Brad raced out of the work area to the desert flight deck. Gerald and Ian took their posts at the two Drone control consoles that sat side by side.

Kara turned to Jenna and said, "Place the distress signal to the Air Force. If those missiles get out of our air space they're going to need to try and shoot them down."

Kara turned to Deanna and said, "I need you to monitor all the other zones."

Deanna asked, "But what am I looking for?"

Kara calmly said, "Surprises. We don't need anymore of those right now."

Deanna went to the main monitoring console and shook her head. She said, "Colonel Kara, I can't do anything. Nothing is lit up. Colonel Hooter shut down all non-military systems, remember."

Kara dialed Colonel Hooter, who promptly answered the phone and said, "Colonel Kara, why aren't you guys on Lower Level Sub 2. I told you not to go to Starbucks."

Kara rolled her eyes but calmly and firmly said, "We're not at Starbucks, Colonel Fowler. We have a major emergency in MSIG 2. The earthquake set off our missile systems. Right now we're less than ten minutes away from blowing up six major cities. We're going to try and do manual take downs, but we need our basic monitoring systems up and running again."

Colonel Fowler thought for a moment. He knew that people thought he was a stupid robot who sounded like a broken record about safety. Those were just drills. He repeated himself to hammer the message home so people didn't forget it. But in a real life emergency, a good safety officer had to know how to think outside the box and make tough decisions. Colonel Fowler hated cogs who couldn't think outside the box. He'd be damned if during his greatest moment he acted like a cog.

Hooter said, "I'm sending a code to Deanna's phone. She'll know what to do with it. That code will reactivate the basic systems in just your work area. And … I'll be out to your desert field area with a medical team, just in case … something happens."

Kara smiled a little into the phone, "Thanks, Hooter. Thanks."

Hooter Fowler smiled back, "Don't thank me, Kara. I'm the Chief Safety Officer. This is my job."

In addition to sending Deanna the code he promised, Colonel Fowler turned on all the monitors on Lower Level Sub 2 so that everyone in the emergency staging area could see what was going on in the desert. He did it because, if he were standing around waiting to be told what to do, he would want to know what was happening with Team MSIG 2.

Kara hung up the phone and worked on her final piece of the puzzle. She looked out at the oil rig tower. The manual detonator was so high up she couldn't see it. She surveyed her team of humans and Weres, looking for someone who could drop that lever and detonate the two warheads containing the nuclear weapons before they launched. Her eyes fixed on the only soldier in her unit who could do the job. She sighed and her throat tightened in fear. Kara took a deep breath and walked over to David Burke, the always nervous Were-eagle who was petrified of heights."

Kara touched David on the shoulder and said, "David, I need you. Your country needs you. I need you to shift and fly up to the top of the oil rig tower and drop that lever."

David's blue eyes widened. He saw everyone staring at him and gulped. Finally, he stuttered out, "I-I-I'm sorry, C-c-c-olonel K-kara. I-I-I c-c-can't do it. I've n-n-never shifted. E-e-e-ver. I a-a-a-lmost did, but only once. I-I-I've n-n-never flown two feet off the g-ground, l-let alone two thousand f-feet."

Kara took a deep breath, trying not to panic but painfully aware of the time being lost. She said, "I know, David. I know. But if there's ever a time when you need to overcome that fear, it's right now. If you don't do this, Los Angeles and Mexico City are going to be nuked. There's going to be millions dead, not to mention the international incident caused by us attacking a neighboring country."

Kara suddenly realized that all this added pressure wasn't calming David down. It was actually making him more nervous. The incredible weight of the situation wasn't a good motivator. Kara was on the verge of a rare breakdown, when Jenna pushed her to the side and stood in front of David.

Jenna pressed her body snugly against the frightened Were-eagle and seductively said, "David, don't think about all that stuff about your country and innocent people and international incidents. Kara can be such a heavy, sometimes. I know. She's my sister-cousin. I spend most of my time telling her to lighten the fuck up."

David did seem to calm down a bit as Jenna rubbed his chest and pressed her thigh into his crotch.

Jenna said, loud enough for all of Team MSIG 2 to hear her, "David, look at me. I have never allowed any of these thirsty little fucktards at Sonoran to so much as kiss my Alexander Queen adorned feet, and several of them have begged to do that. But if you do this, David, I swear before everyone in this room that I will personally take you into the big storage closet, the one with the queen-sized futon, and de-virginize you in at least four different ways, one of them being traditional intercourse in the missionary position."

David choked and so did several of the other staff, especially the other virgins, which were many. David stuttered, "Y-you're just p-p-playing a trick on me."

Jenna's sultry voice said, "No, I'm not. I know you think I lifted you up on that rafter because I was being a bitch. Well, I was. But I wasn't. I could genuinely be attracted to you, but I can't go there with an eagle who's too afraid to fly. I need you to be your true self, and now is the time."

David looked unsure. Jenna said, "You trust Colonel Kara, don't you?

David nodded.

Jenna explained, "She's my cousin, big sister, best friend and future Queen. I do what she tells me to do."

Jenna looked at Kara and raised her eyebrows. Kara didn't know how she felt about guaranteeing this deal, but she was desperate. So she scowled a bit but said sincerely, "David, you have my word that Jenna will … de-virginize you … in at least four different ways, including missionary style intercourse."

David thought about it, then asked, "What about B-brad?"

Jenna smoothly answered, "Brad understands that sometimes one has to make sacrifices for their country. He's doing that now, and you're about to do the same thing. Now me, I don't think fucking your wings off would be a sacrifice at all, David. If you weren't such a bitch bird you'd be totally fuckable. And you have great pectorals."

David absently explained, "All eagles do. We need strong pecs to fly. Our wings are very big."

Jenny crooned breathily, "I'll bet your wings aren't the only thing on you that's big, David. But I won't ever know if we're all nuked and dead."

David breathed nervously, considering. Someone yelled at him, "Dude, what the fuck are you thinking about? Your sorry ass is never gonna get another offer this good. Ever. I'm human and I'm trying to shift into a fucking eagle right now."

Jenna saw that David was almost there, so she closed the deal by grabbing him by his tufty blonde hair and giving him a tongue-filled, slow swirling kiss. By the time she pulled back, David Burke, looking a little dazed and giddy, had steeled his resolve. He said, still sounding very nervous, "Colonel Kara, I'll do it."

As David Burke raced out into the Arizona desert and headed for the oil rig tower, Kara came next to Jenna and said, "Thank you … I think."

Jenna smiled and calmly said, "Don't thank me. While I'm at work, I'm Colonel Jenna Wellington. But in our family pride, I am your right hand. Your lieutenant. My sole job is to use any and every one of my many talents to ensure that you're always successful. That's what I was born to do. Besides, getting David to face his worst fear was nothing. I just followed JAW's rule of life number 5."

Kara asked, "Which is?"

Jenna said, "Most lesbians and almost all straight men will lose their minds and risk everything, including death, to get or keep good pussy."

**_# # # # # _**

**_Everyone at the Sonoran Army Base is Under Pressure_**

At that moment, all the walls throughout the Sonoran Army base virtually disappeared. Every single one of the base's hundreds of staff members were linked together, across the vast space of the building complex. They experienced the next moments as if they were in the same time and space, like side-by-side square box insets flashing on the same gigantic television screen. They may have been standing in different rooms, but as the ground shook beneath them they were all joined together by a singular, overwhelming feeling – _pressure._

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_Pressure pushing down on me. Pressing down on you no man ask for. Under pressure. That burns a building down. Splits a family in two. Puts people on streets. Bah bah bah bah bah bah_.

Brad Baxter raced across the desert, the flight deck in his sights. He saw the land mine buried under the sand a little too late. He avoided most of the explosion, but the force of the detonation knocked him off his feet.

Kara and the rest of the MSIG 2 crew saw the Werelion go down. Kara pressed a button on a control box that hung from her waste. She spoke to Brad via a headset. He heard her through his own headset. "Brad, are you alright?"

Brad replied, sounding a little shaken, "Yeah, I'm okay. But the whole field is full of landmines, and they all seem live."

Kara replied, "I know. Give us a minute. We're going to take care of them."

Deanna said, "Colonel Kara, I've got the basic system up. I lit up the mines in infrared, so Brad can navigate around them."

Kara said, "Brad, the mines are infra-redded up. Can you see them?"

Brad peered over the desert. He couldn't see anything at first, but then his eyes glinted. He saw glowing red balls throughout the desert sand, placed several feet apart. Brad nodded and said, "I can see them if I shift."

Kara said, "Good."

Brad Baxter removed his uniform as he ran and shifted into the powerful lion that he was. His gorgeous whitish blonde mane, which made a glorious trail down his chest, past his stomach and all the way across his underbelly to his balls, bounced as he ran.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Low level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_It's the terror of knowing what this world is about. Watching some good friends screaming let me out!  
Pray tomorrow takes me higher. Pressure on people. People on streets._

At that exact moment, Helena was pinned against the wall, still listening to her goddess wife talk. After the last outburst, Afrida had calmed down a little bit, but she was still very angry. She boomed, "I've made a decision about how the rest of this week is going to go, Helena. I won't be controlled, by you or by anyone. You don't have the right to ask me to just … trust you. I trusted you after you bit me when you said you wouldn't ever do this again, but here you are doing this again.

Something happened with the Man From Dallas, something significant. And I get the sense that whatever it was definitely falls under the category of something you should have told me about a long time ago, and you didn't. So the person here who needs to earn trust is you.

So you spend the next week and days figuring out how you're going to do that. In the meantime, I want MacArthur to stay with me in Washington, DC. I don't see why I should be alone when you're the one who's imposing this separation. So fuck you. You be alone. M can be with you tonight. I know he wants to make up with you. And he can be with you while I'm on my mission in Asia. But the rest of the time when I'm here, our husband stays with me.

Oh, and I'm fucking our husband. Not just cuddling or being pleasured by him. Fucking. And you're going to assure him that that's okay. Is that understood?"

Afrida waited for Helena to respond. When she didn't, the goddess sent a wave of pain straight into Helena's body. The alpha wolf grimaced, as the goddess asked again, "Is that understood?"

Helena reeled from the pain and blasted the thought _yes. Yeeeessssss!_

The goddess stopped emanating the wave of pain and said, "Good. Because I happen to like and need sex. Lots of it. So until you can make me understand and agree with whatever it is you're doing, which I really doubt you'll be able to do, you're not turning my life upside down to the extent I can prevent it. So spend the time you asked for figuring it out. If you don't want to have sex while you're doing it, that's your choice. But you're not going to control fucking for me and MacArthur."

Helena was trying to listen to Afrida, but she had heard everything she needed to hear. It was now clear to the alpha wolf that she couldn't control anything, especially her angry goddess wife. Helena was going to have to find a way to get Afrida to want to focus on remembering who she was, and sacrificing whatever needed to be sacrificed in the process. But right now she didn't have a clue how she was going to do that.

The task was going to be daunting, because essentially Helena was going to be asking the Goddess of Love to focus on something other than love for a while. Love, and sex, was a core part of Afrida's identity. She wasn't just going to place that on an extended hold without understanding why she was doing it.

On some level, Helena had planned to get both her spouses on board with these changes by asking them to trust in her. But the alpha wolf had slowly come to the painful realization that not one, but both of her spouses had serious, long-standing issues with her. These issues involved trust, or the lack thereof, and they had been there all along. But no one had talked about them; and now they were, as Afrida so aptly put it, _rumbling to the surface_ and shaking up everything.

Before Helena could ask Afrida and MacArthur to trust her, she was going to somehow have to earn back their trust by addressing the issues in her marriage that she didn't even know were there. For a woman who didn't like to admit faults or examine her own imperfections, this wasn't going to be an easy task. But if anything could make her do this, Helena's love for both Afrida and MacArthur would be that one thing.

The alpha wolf watched Afrida's lips moving, but she didn't hear any words. She didn't need to hear anything more. All she saw was how beautiful, how wonderfully tragically beautiful Afrida was. Helena was falling in love all over again as she gazed upon her.

Helena loved Afrida enough to take the hits that her wife was giving her. She wasn't seeing just her wife. She was seeing her friend. Their family motto was, "Friends don't abandon friends, especially when bombs are falling all around them." What greater love could one friend have for another, than to risk everything to save that friend, even when the friend didn't know they needed saving.

Afrida caught sight of Helena, and she suddenly stopped talking. Her alpha wolf wife was pinned to the wall. Afrida was raving mad, yet there Helena was, smiling and sending Afrida wave after wave of the most incredible warmth and love imaginable. Afrida frowned, trying to figure her wife out. This wasn't the reaction she expected at all. A part of her thought Helena might truly be going crazy. But another part of her, a subconscious part that was buried deep inside, knew Helena wasn't crazy and that, in fact, Helena loved her more than anyone had ever loved her in her entire existence. That part of the goddess was smiling and saying _thank you._

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Low level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_Do do do bah bah bah bah. O-kay. Chippin' around. Kick my brains round the floor. These are the days  
It never rains but it pours. _

Colonel Hammer hit Colonel Dodson on the arm and pointed at the monitor beaming images into Lower Level Sub 2. He said, "What the fuck?" as he watched Colonel David Burke, aka bitch bird Were-eagle, race across the desert. He was skipping and flapping his arms as he ran, trying to shift. He looked like he was doing some kind of awkward bird dance. Nothing was happening.

Slowly, the crowd of people on Lower Level Sub 2 gathered around any available monitor, gasping and whispering as they watched their fellow soldiers from MSIG 2 try to be heroes.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_People on streets  
People on streets. It's the terror of knowing. What this world is about. Watching some good friends. Screaming let me out! Pray tomorrow takes me higher higher higher. Pressure on people. People on streets._

Brad Baxter shifted out of his lion form as he leaped into the cockpit of the jet flyer. He was totally nude and he jumped from the burn of the seat, which had been baking for hours under the desert sun. He grabbed his blanket from the rear of the cockpit and placed it underneath him. Thank god the cockpit was one of the many places he liked to nap during the day.

Brad started up the engines and took off. The flyer was loaded with two short range missiles. He had two chances. Two chances for one kill shot. Brad had elevated and was circling the desert. His heart raced as he heard the droning female British voice countdown the launch:

_Missile launch sequence reactivated and scheduled to begin in T minus 10 seconds for … Coordinate 29.7631° N, 95.3631° W. Houston, Texas. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One._

_Launch._

The Werelion who didn't get phased by anything felt nothing but pure adrenalin as he heard the _whoooooosh_ of the first missile as it shot up from its chamber buried deep in the desert. He saw the projectile racing impossibly fast, zooming straight up then turning suddenly, heading East. He aimed, then pressed the _release _button.

The first short range missile came within feet of the missile headed for Houston, but just missed its target. Kara, the rest of her team, and everyone watching on Lower Level Sub 2 gasped in disappointment.

Ian sat at his drone control station. He tracked the Houston missile, quickly inputting calculations. He situated the black drone in the path of the missile, which made a direct hit. Both the missile and the drone exploded in midair.

Everyone on MSIG 2 and Lower Level Sub 2 cheered, while David Burke continued to flap and jump, trying to shift. He ducked and dodged as debris fell around him. Then he felt the ground start to shake. He exclaimed, "Oh shit."

Brad Baxter heard another _whooshing _noise as the missile destined for Denver launched. The Werelion heard the voice of Gerald Anderson come in over his microphone. "Hold on, Brad. I'm gonna give you some help. Look at your dash and read the coordinates I'm sending you. If you get close enough, maybe we can jolt it into locking on you. You'll have to shake it after it comes for you to go for the kill shot."

Brad processed both the coordinates and the missile in front of him. He followed Gerald's instructions, and the Denver missile did indeed lock onto his flyer. His cockpit instrument panel went crazy with warning lights, informing him of what he already knew. A missile was coming straight for him.

Brad tried to shake his deadly metallic stalker, but it chased him relentlessly like a shark in the sky. He panicked and exclaimed, "I can't shake it. It's gonna hit-"

Gerald calmly interjected, "No, it's not. I gotcha."

Brad looked back over his shoulder and saw Gerald's black drone rise out of nowhere and come between him and the looming missile. He heard a reverberating explosion as the second missile collided with the second drone.

Gerald spoke calmly to Brad, "Look here, pretty boy. We don't have anymore drones, so the rest is up to you. You've gotta make this kill shot."

Brad said, more than a little panicked, "I don't know if I can, man. I should have paid more attention in Aeronautics class. You should have been the pilot. I don't deserve this spot, and now I'm gonna pay for it. Call the Air Force."

Gerald spoke with calming authority into his headset, "Listen pretty boy. You got the spot and you're gonna earn it. Right now. You know everything you need to know. Just relax and feel the pace of the missile. I'm gonna talk you through the shot. And then the only thing you're gonna pay for is a drink for me for saving your pretty little ass."

Brad Baxter found the Weregrizzly's commanding tone relaxing … and something else that he couldn't exactly focus on at the moment. So he simply said, "Okay. Okay."

Then he heard the _whoosh _of the Las Vegas missile. He kept it in his line of sight and listened to Gerald's voice. "Okay, little lion. Easy. Let it come to you. Don't get trigger happy and shoot your load. Hold it like a man."

Brad's eyes darted back and forth. He was so focused on holding his load like a man that he didn't hear Gerald shout, "Now!"

By the time it registered, the moment had passed. Brad exclaimed, "Fuck! Fuck!"

But there was Gerald, calm as ever. "It's okay. It's okay. Fuck is exactly right. You're gonna fuck this missile. It was chasing you. But this is good. 'Cause now you're gonna chase it. Take it from the back."

Brad wasn't entirely sure Gerald was talking about a missile headed for Las Vegas, but he followed the Weregrizzly's advice and pursued the errant weapon.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, David Burke was still flapping and running. He was growing more doubtful and desperate, because he knew he only had a few minutes to get up to the tower and stop the nuke missiles from launching.

David was mumbling to himself, "Please. Come on. Please." Then suddenly he had bigger problems than trying to shift. The shaking ground suddenly parted like the red sea. Before David could react, the sand underneath him collapsed as the earth literally opened its mouth beneath him. David Burke's legs and arms were now flapping, and he screamed as he fell into a dark oblivion.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_Turned away from it all like a blind man. Sat on a fence but it don't work. Keep coming up with love. But it's so slashed and torn. Why why why?_

General M was on the phone trying to reach Helena. When she didn't answer he called Colonel Fowler. M's team had completed their shutdown procedures in their part of the desert, when they saw what was happening over on Helena's field area. M wanted to go over and help, but he needed to make sure the area was secured before he and his team ran across the open desert.

Fowler transferred M to Kara, who told him what her team was doing to handle the runaway missiles. Kara also confirmed that landmines were active, but infra-redded so any Were could see and navigate their way around them. Finally, Kara told M that they hadn't seen or heard from Helena the entire time. M frowned and hung up the phone.

Quinn stood in the background, thankful that his father was too focused on the disaster across the desert to notice him. He had heard M's entire conversation with Kara. He looked on in horror as he saw all the missiles launching into the air and the explosions over the desert. The old Quinn would have stopped this from happening. The new Quinn felt like throwing up, and tears of shame welled in his eyes.

He wasn't getting along with his mother right now, but he still loved her very much. She had needed him, and he let her down. As he felt the ground shaking beneath his feet and watched his father telling the rest of his team to wait for the tremors to stop before going to help Team MSIG 2, Quinn wasn't feeling very much like an alpha tiger. In fact, he was wishing that he was just an android again.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_Love love love love._

Meanwhile the other male cat in Helena's life was about to finally grow up. Brad Baxter chased the errant missile. He saw it just ahead, and heard Gerald's voice giving him instructions. But then, without warning, something happened to Brad Baxter that he had never experienced before. He took in the impossibly blue and white vanilla sky and the missile that streaked across it like a trail of black pen ink marring a Monet painting.

The Werelion's mind suddenly forgot about the malls and golf courses he loved in Houston, or the skiing he loved to do near Denver, or the gambling he sometimes did in Vegas, or even the bars he secretly visited in San Francisco. Instead, Brad Baxter pictured the millions of innocent people, just going about their day in all of those cities. Those people didn't even know that at this very moment, their lives hung in the balance. And the only thing that stood between them and disaster was a goof-off Werelion who hadn't really cared about much of anything his entire life.

Brad Baxter didn't tell anyone this, not even his fiancé Jenna, but he loved flying, a lot. He loved it because it made him feel free, and peaceful, in a way that he never felt when he was on the ground. But the thing he loved most was getting lost in the expanse of open blue sky, and feeling for the time he was soaring above Planet Earth as if he could … keep going, into the heavens. It made him feel like some of the things he learned in Cat Church, at least what he could remember from when he used to go as a young cub, might actually be true and real. The Werelion was feeling that same feeling right now, despite, _or maybe because, _there were missiles launching all around him.

Brad Baxter's eyes widened as he realized he was seeing … beauty … for the first time in his life. He was really seeing beauty, where it mattered. Not with his eyes, but with his heart. He could see the sum total of all those millions of beautiful lives stretching out into infinity, like stars on a beautiful night sky. It was the most beautiful image he had ever known, and it filled him with something. Something powerful and bigger than himself. For the handsome, self-absorbed, billionaire Werelion, this was a huge deal; because until that very moment, he had never even considered that there might exist something more profound or bigger than himself.

Brad breathed in deep, taking in all of that warm fullness that suddenly consumed him until it flowed through his whole body and changed him. With his new eyes, Brad could see the zooming missile, except now it seemed to move in slow motion. He didn't need to listen to Gerald, because suddenly he had no trouble tracking the missile's trajectory. He knew exactly when to press the _release_ motion on his last short range missile.

Brad Baxter counted and counted, and waited. He smiled a knowing confident smile as his thumb pressed that red _release_ button and took out missile number three.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_Love love love love. Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking. Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance? Why can't we give love give love give love? Give love give love give love give love give love? _

Kara and the MSIG 2 team were hanging on by a thread, trying not to fall into abject despair. They had seen Brad take out the Las Vegas missile, and they heard him cheering through the intercom. But an eerie silence had taken over the entire team, as well as the crowd of people watching on Lower Level Sub 2. Everyone watched the area above the gaping hole that had swallowed up poor David Burke. As seconds ticked by, one person after another gave up hope.

Kara Wellington, and several others on MSIG 2 felt tears falling from their eyes. To her own surprise, one of those people was Jenna Wellington. Kara could hear people crying openly. She didn't know what to say, because she was one step away from doing the same thing. _I shouldn't have pushed him. I knew deep down he couldn't do it._

Kara blinked, then blinked again. She didn't want to get hopeful too soon, but she saw something flash through her teary line of sight. Something was rising out of the black hole in the desert. Her heart raced, as she closed her eyes and prayed. She knew she wasn't imagining things when she heard the exclamations from others on her team.

There he was! David Burke emerged from the fractured desert as a soaring eagle. As the debris of the Las Vegas missile fell down from the sky, a beautiful, powerful eagle with broad black wings, a white crested head and a powerful chest soared through the sky.

Several members of Team MSIG 2 were screaming, "Fly, David! Fly!"

The magnificent bird easily climbed toward the top of the oil rig tower. Even Hammer and Dodson, patriots that they were, were moved by the sight of America's symbol of bravery and freedom soaring into the clouds.

David Burke was processing what it felt like to be an eagle. His mom and dad and sisters and brothers had all described it to him more times than he could count, trying to encourage him to finally shift. But nothing could take the place of experiencing it for himself. The word _exhilaration _didn't even come close to what he was feeling as he felt the wind underneath his wings, lifting him up effortlessly. He looked down, and he couldn't remember what he had ever been so afraid of. He could see for miles.

_Hmmm. A snake crawling under a cactus tree. Tasty. I could just swoop down and … Focus, David. Focus! _David would have to practice hunting for prey later. Right now, he needed to climb a mere 2,000 feet. _Ha! A mere 2,000 feet! I can go as high as airplanes. Focus!_ He had to climb 2,000 feet to reach the top of the oil rig tower and the detonation lever, which would explode the two live nukes while they were still encased underground. David reached the top of the tower, circled, then flew up a bit more.

David floated above the lever, measuring his angles, then shifted out of his eagle form. As he fell back to earth, he grabbed the manual detonator and pulled down with all his strength. His pectorals flexed, and the lever slowly descended under his weight and strength. A few seconds later, the earth below shook. Kara couldn't tell whether the shaking was from the earthquake or the nuke detonating and dispersing energy safely within their casings. Everyone on Team MSIG 2 (most of all, to her surprise, Jenna Wellington), jumped and cheered, and cried. The crowd on Lower Level Sub 2 went crazy with excitement, mixed with more than a few tears, as well. Even Generals Hammer and Dodson looked overcome with emotion.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_Cause love's such an old fashioned word. And love dares you to care. For people on the edge of the night  
And love dares you to change our way. Of caring about ourselves._

Helena and Afrida stared at each other as waves of love flowed between them. Afrida's anger had momentarily dissipated, and she once again regarded her wife with ocean blue eyes. The goddess came and stood right in front of the alpha wolf, and gently caressed her cheek. Their eyes never left each other, and they were oblivious to the chaos going on in the outside world.

**_# # # # # _**

Brad circled in a big loop and tilted his flyer hard to the left. He looked down and saw David Burke as an eagle, soaring in slow motion toward the oil rig tower. Brad smiled, and wondered what it must feel like to be able to shift and soar into the clouds whenever one wanted. He was happy for David that he now knew what that was like. The _whoosh _of the final missile, with San Francisco on its name, knocked Brad out of this thoughts.

Once again, Gerald's voice filled his ears. "Alright, little cat. You're gonna do exactly what you did before. Get in its line of fire and let it lock onto you."

Brad didn't need to think about it. This time he knew exactly what to do, and he wasn't afraid. He wasn't nervous, or excited. He was in a state of calm. He saw the missile curve and head west. He had already lined himself up right in front of the missile's uncharted trajectory.

Gerald warned, "Wait until I tell you. Don't eject too soon or you'll go up and then fall back into the explosion. You've got to hold it until the very last minute, until you almost feel like you can't hold it anymore, or you're gonna explode. At that moment, is when you're gonna shoot out."

Brad found the way that Gerald talked about airplanes and missiles … interesting. Maybe the Weregrizzly talked like that all the time, but he had never noticed it before. Come to think of it, he had never really _talked _to Gerald before. They had fought and yelled at each other a whole lot, but talked? Never. Brad decided that if he made it out of this situation alive, he was going to change that.

Brad watched as the San Francisco missile headed straight for him. Gerald said, "Wait. Wait. Waaaaaiiiiittt. Now. Eject now!"

Brad hit his eject button and felt himself shoot straight up in the air. His body shot up so rapidly that for a brief moment he experienced vertigo and lost his bearings. Then he was falling back to earth. He looked below and saw that his airplane had exploded, and debris was falling to the ground. He was falling right behind it.

He floated and waiting until he felt gravity pulling him harder to the ground. That was his signal to pop his parachute. When he did, he felt as if he was suddenly jerked to a stop, only to resume falling again. Brad looked below and saw that there was a load of burning wreckage from his plane, and he was headed straight for it. He tried as best he could to angle away from it, but the area of burning debris was too large.

The Werelion landed with a hard _thud _against unforgiving, burning metal. He rolled off onto the sand with another hard _thud. _He was suddenly feeling bruised and banged up, and he was pretty sure more than one thing was broken, but he couldn't tell what. He rolled around on the sand.

He stopped rolling and lay on his back looking up at the sky, when all of a sudden he felt heat … coming from his head. He reached up and felt his hair. His beautiful mane … was on fire. "Oh shit!," Brad remembered rolling was the key, and worked hard to roll over and over in a way that made his head the center of attention. After several scary minutes, he snuffed out the flames. Thankfully no part of his body was burned. He cautiously reached up to see how much damage was done. He felt little stabs of joy when he felt the right side of his head and it was fairly full. _Maybe a trim and a deep condition._ But then he felt the left side of his head, where there would normally be hair, and felt nothing. He moved his hand up and up. Still nothing. _Oh my god! Most of the left side of my mane is gone!_

Brad felt the remnants of his old self begin to freak the fuck out. He felt the devastation creeping into his very soul over the loss of his gorgeous hair, but then something made him look over at the still burning wreckage and up at the beautiful vanilla sky. He had just been up there moments ago, and he had just saved the lives of millions of innocent people. _It's just hair. It will grow back._ Brad then felt that same fullness that had consumed him when he was flying above the desert push out the creeping devastation over his hair. He lay back and closed his eyes and purred.

**_# # # # # _**

**_~~ Normal level music (Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie): _**_This is our last dance. This is our last dance. This is ourselves under pressure. Under pressure. Pressure._

The ground finally stopped shaking. All the missiles were detonated or shot down. The entire Lower Level Sub 2 floor was still shaking, not from the earthquake, but from hundreds of employees jumping and cheering for joy.

David Burke flew down to Brad and gracefully shifted out of his eagle form. He kneeled over the Werelion and said, "Way to go, Brad!"

Brad said, "Not so bad yourself, Mr. Eagle."

General M and his crew raced over to David Burke and Brad Baxter. General M was too focused on getting to Helena's team to notice that Quinn, uncharacteristically, wasn't behind him.

At the same time, Colonel Hooter Fowler rolled across the desert in an emergency rescue vehicle with a flatbed cab. General M and Hooter hoisted Brad Baxter onto the back of the truck bed so that he could be rushed to Comstack Infirmary. Hooter covered Brad, who was nude, with a sheet. He gave another sheet to David Burke, who was also nude from shifting.

Half of Brad's formerly gorgeous mane was burned off. The other half was sooty. But the Werelion hero was still in great spirits. As he approached his team, Brad gave everyone a big toothy smile and a big _thumbs up_. He was met with cheers, as Kara and the rest of Team MSIG 2 greeted him and patted him on the shoulder.

Gerald looked Brad in the eye and sincerely said, "Not bad, Baxter. Not bad, at all. And all this time I thought you were just a pretty face and nice body."

Brad blushed a little, then sincerely said, "Thanks, Gerald. For all your pep talks. And for saving my life. Twice. I'm going to look forward to buying you that drink."

There was a moment's pause, then the Werelion and Weregrizzly, who earlier had tried to kill each other, clasped hands and gave each other a grin. They stared at each other for a long few seconds.

Jenna came over, breaking the spell between Werelion Brad Baxter and Weregrizzly Fitzgerald Anderson. She smiled at Brad and gave him a big kiss. Colonel Hooter gently said, "Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt. We gotta get him to the infirmary. Let them work on him for a few hours before you go over and try to see him. He's got some broken bones and other stuff going on. They're gonna need some time to patch him up."

Everyone watched Hooter disappear with Brad until the Werelion was out of sight, then they headed back into the MSIG 2 work area. Everyone surrounded David, wanting to talk to him and praise him. Jenna pushed through the throng and gave the Were-eagle a big kiss. She grabbed his hand, but he pulled back and said, "No, Jenna. I'm thankful that you … motivated me. But you don't have to do this."

Jenna regarded David and smiled at him warmly and sincerely. She said, "An officer, a hero _and _a gentleman. I know I don't have to do anything, but I want to, very much."

David and several other virgins gulped. Jenna mused, "You are going to be quite the catch for someone very special. But she … or he, is going to have a high standard to live up to, because Jeanine aka Jenna Angela nickname JAW Wellington is going to be your first sex ever. You always remember your first sex ever, and in your case your first is going to be spectacular."

Jenna grabbed the hand of David Burke, who looked like he couldn't believe this was happening, and pulled him toward the large storage closet, the one with the queen-sized futon. "Come on, looks like I've got several hours to make you a man eagle. Grab those bottles of water. We'll need them."

Before she left the desert, Kara caught a glimpse of Quinn Tiger. She smiled and waved. He didn't. Instead he turned around and walked away. Kara's vision was exceptional, and she was confused. Everyone on her team was elated at averting major disaster not once, but two times. This was a time for celebration. Yet, even though he was a bit far away, Kara was quite sure that her eyes didn't deceive her. Quinn looked … sad, like he was about to cry.

**_# # # # # _**

**_The Goddess Has Had It With a Certain Alpha Tiger and a Certain Alpha Wolf_**

Afrida shook her head, as if casting off whatever spell her alpha wolf wife was spinning. She had felt the waves of warmth and love coming from Helena, and it had calmed her down from her goddess rage. But she remembered the time, and soon Terri Curry would be back and asking about Ben.

Afrida pressed her body close to Helena and kissed her. It was a long, deep kiss. She pulled back and stared into her wife's eyes and said, "Well, you seem to have calmed down, finally. You've got control of yourself again. We're going to be fine."

Helena had indeed overcome the raging maenad energy Quinn had repeatedly sent into her. She said, "I don't like arguing with you."

Afrida shook her head and said, "I don't mind arguing with you, actually. I think it's good for spouses to argue and vent. You know how you can tell when a marriage is dead? The spouses stop arguing. When you care, you argue. And I care about you very, very much."

Afrida kissed her wife again and held her tight. She murmured against her lips, "We talked, sometimes in a heated manner, but it was good. No one got hurt. No harm done. Right? But now, I'm kicking you out. I still have to deal with my little Weretortoise, and he'll be coming back soon."

Helena said, "Okay. I need to go check on my team. I hope Gerald and Brad didn't get into another fight. It's like I've turned into a babysitter. My team just can't get along and work together."

Afrida walked Helena to the door. They kissed and then Helena said, "I love you. Part of me doesn't want to leave you."

Afrida smiled and said, "I love you, too. And you'd better leave while you can. Knowing you, if you stay you'll just say something that pisses me off again."

Helena's eyes widened at the thought, but then she saw Afrida's smile and knew she was joking. When Afrida opened the door, the emergency alarm blasted into the work area. The cocoon that the goddess had placed around her work area dissipated. The two wives looked up and down the hall, which was completely empty.

Afrida said, "Hmm. Looks like we missed one of Hooter's emergency drills. Aren't you glad you were arguing with me instead? That's a much more productive way to spend our time."

Helena laughed a little and shook her head. Then she started a brisk walk back to her own work area. Afrida locked the door and turned around. The blonde noticed that one of her windows was broken. _Hmm. How did that happen? Why didn't I hear it? Maybe because I was talking to Helena. I'll have to send in a requisition to have that fixed._

It then occurred to Afrida that maybe someone broke the window to get in and return Ben. She walked over to Ben's tub to take a look. She peered inside, hoping that the little tortoise had been returned.

**_# # # # #_**

Meanwhile, Colonel Hooter Fowler's voice came over the intercom, "Everyone, please remain at your DESA until further notice. I know the tremors have stopped, but it's still not safe to walk around the complex. An earthquake of the magnitude just experienced is likely to have …"

Before Hooter could finish his announcement, the building started shaking violently. He screamed as he finished the sentence, "Aftershocks!"

**_# # # # #_**

Hooter didn't know the cause of said aftershocks, because he wasn't in Afrida's office as she peered into Ben's tub, where she found Ben's bloody shell, a note and a pack of skittles. Her heart raced in panic and horror, both at the sight of poor Ben's remains and what Terri was going to be like over this. But then, she picked up the note. Her horror turned into rage as she realized that she recognized the handwriting.

**_# # # # #_**

Quinn Tiger had quietly walked away from the celebration that had been going on in the desert near the MSIG 2 work area. He had seen the missiles launching, as well as Brad Baxter and David Burke's heroic acts that averted an unthinkable disaster. He was still plagued by guilt, and was searching for a place to be alone with his thoughts.

As he strolled down the hall, with the emergency announcement system droning in his head, another booming voice suddenly drowned out everything else. The voice was speaking specifically to him as it screamed, _"Quinnnnnnn!"_

At the same time as that voice boomed in his head, all the windows around him shattered. In fact, every window throughout the entire Sonoran Army Base shattered. The employees still gathered in Lower Level Sub 2 screamed as glass shards crashed to the floor in an eerily melodic crescendo.

Quinn clutched his head and tried to run away from the scary booming voice, but it followed him. _Quinn, I was here defending you. How could you do something like this, to me no less. Do you even understand what you've done? How much this is going to hurt Terri. And on top of that, you've left this mess for me to clean up. How fucking thoughtful of you!_

Quinn suddenly realized that the distorted booming voice was that of his other mother, Afrida. He was hit with another wave of guilt. He had been so consumed with getting revenge on Terri that he hadn't thought about the fact that his stunt was going to adversely impact his Mom Afrida and her department.

The alpha tiger said, "I-I'm sorry. Stop yelling at me, please." Quinn's shrewd babies tried to sound as hurt and sorry as possible. They were telling him that this was the way to go, because Afrida was the "soft" mom. She was his friend. She'd be a little mad, but she wouldn't beat his ass like his Mother.

But then Quinn Tiger felt his goddess Mom sifting through his thoughts. His notion that she wasn't a strong disciplinarian seemed to really touch a nerve, because he felt a wave of rage run through his body like a painful, hot electric current. He yelped in pain as he heard his Mom's voice booming all around him from every direction. _So you think I'm soft, huh? You don't think I'll kick your ass? Helena is who you fear, but you think I'm a joke who'll let you get away with doing shit like this?_

Quinn Tiger did indeed think this, but he knew it wouldn't be good to admit that right now. He said, "No. No, no, no. I don't."

He looked for a place to hide from the booming voice. He ran into a storage closet and closed the door. But then he heard the voice again. Being in the closet was worse, because now the booming voice reverberated off the walls and seemed to be coming at him from every direction. _Good Quinn. Great minds think alike. Now that you're in here, we can really get to the bottom of things. In private._

Quinn Tiger definitely didn't like the sound of that. He immediately tried to open the closet door, but it wouldn't budge. He yelped a little in panic, and started screaming, "Help. Somebody. The door is stuck. Help!"

But no one was in the hallway due to the emergency. And even if they had been in the hallway, the goddess had cocooned the storage closet. So no one on the other side of the door would have been able to hear him, anyway.

**_# # # # #_**

Helena had just made it to the edge of Afrida's Work Sector 3 when she heard booming in her mind. _Oh Helena. My darling wife._

Helena felt her heart racing. It was Afrida, and she didn't sound happy. The alpha wolf had just been kissing her. What the hell could she have possibly done in the past five minutes to piss her goddess wife off? _It seems our lovely son is the culprit who stole Ben. But not only did he steal Ben. Oh no. He tortured and ate poor Ben, then returned his remains to Terri Curry's work station with a little note and some candy. _

Helena's eyes widened in shock. _I see that you are just as shocked as I was when I discovered poor Ben, or what's left of him. Now rest assured I will get to the bottom of this. But since you were telling me just a little while ago that you thought me incapable of stern discipline, I wanted you to witness first hand how I handle the situation. I'd be interested in your thoughts on how I do._

Helena gasped in fear. She didn't like where this was going at all. Knowing what she already knew about the capabilities of her goddess wife when she was angry, Helena was about to tell Afrida that she would deal with Quinn herself. But before she could say anything, she felt a wave of pain course through both her and Quinn. Quinn doubled over in his storage closet, and Helena fell to her knees in the middle of the Sector 3 hallway. _No need for you to do anything, darling. I've got this. You just watch._

Considering how much pain she was in, it wasn't like the alpha wolf could do anything else besides watch, anyway. She couldn't even speak or think at the moment.

Quinn saw in his mind his Mother doubled over in pain, just like he was. Boy was he going to get it. First, he was going to get it from his Mom Afrida for what he did to Ben. Then, he was sure he was going to get it from his Mother Helena for getting her caught up in his punishment from Afrida.

The alpha tiger yelped like a cub when he felt Afrida turn her attentions back to him. _Since you're now five parts, all brimming and asking for attention, I'm going to deal with each of your little aspects one at a time. First up, my dear android. You're dismissed. I see that you tried your best with these little baby fuckers you're trapped in the same body with, and now I have a gift for you. I have uploaded into your data bank more than a thousand of the most difficult Sudokus ever created. Have fun._

Quinn's inner android was ecstatic. Those babies tried to grab hold of him for what little support he could provide, but Mr. Android shoved them away and went to play Sudoku.

_Goodbye, my lovely android. Have fun. Let Mom deal with these fucking little babies. Oh, and Helena. I don't want you to miss any of this. Allow me to amplify your Were bond with Quinn, so you can see and feel first-hand how I'm taking your advice about discipline to heart. _

Then to Quinn. _You see, Quinn, your Mother thinks that part of the reason why you are the way you are right now is because I spoiled you. I didn't discipline you enough, and moreover I undermined her authority by basically conceding to you when she did not. Why, she was just telling me that I need to be less of your friend and more of your Mom. So here goes._

Both Quinn and Helena gasped in frightened anticipation.

_Baby Tiger … You came up with the brilliant ideas on how to torture poor Ben. You also think it's fun to torture women. You've been watching a lot of internet pornography and it tells you that when the woman screams in pain she's just teasing. She really wants to be tortured. She's saying no when she really means yes. Hmm. Since you think torture is all the rage, let's give you some of it. Let's see how you like torture. Now, Baby Tiger, we all know from Torture 101 that everything starts with a basic beating to prime the detainee. Shall we begin?_

Quinn and Helena felt themselves being beaten and kicked everywhere by invisible, but extremely powerful, fists and feet.

_"Helena? Helena? Are you paying attention, my love? I can't tell because your eyes are closed. I wouldn't want you to miss any of this motherly discipline I'm giving to our son. What do you think so far? I'm just beginning."_

Helena was concentrating on shielding herself from punches and kicks, which was impossible since she couldn't see what was coming.

_Baby Maenad … You love religion. You were supposed to be Quinn's moral compass, but you advised him using some Machiavellian philosophy. It was you who told Quinn that if he was strong enough to get revenge on Terri, then he had a right to do so. You seem to like draconian religions. Very well, I am fond of the Old Testament myself, at least as far as draconian goes. How about an eye for an eye. Let's give you exactly what you gave to poor Ben._

Quinn screamed, "Noooo." But then he felt himself being tossed in the air and slammed onto his back. His shirt was pulled up, exposing his abdomen. Then he saw a light that seemed to come from … nowhere, really. The light beamed onto his belly, baking him like he had baked poor Ben in the desert. The alpha tiger cried and screamed in pain. But it got much worse, as he suddenly felt the odd and horrifying sensation that he was being eaten alive. He writhed and screamed, and so did Helena, who was feeling all of this at the same time.

_Baby Fairy … You suggested doing this over Skittles. Skittles!? You fucking tortured and ate Ben over fucking Skittles! Not to mention what this will do to Terri! Did you even think about that? No. You were just thinking of yourself, and how you wanted those fucking Skittles. So have some Skittles, Quinn. Have all the fucking Skittles you want. _

Quinn's eyes widened as the entire closet filled up with Skittles. The tiny colored candies poured from the ceiling and rose from the floor. Several of them flew in his mouth. As soon as he swallowed one mouthful, another cluster of candy shot into his mouth. He wasn't prepared for one of the onslaughts, and started choking. His Mom was helpful when she saw him struggling and coughing. She punched him in the gut which caused the Skittles to pop out of his mouth. Helena, of course, felt all of this.

_And finally … Baby Vampire. You're plotting as we speak about how you can bite me and steal my blood. So, like mother like son. I knew there would be things to contend with when I came into a family full of fucking vampires, including the biting. However, biting someone against their will is just not okay. But you think it's okay, don't you Quinn? Well, let me show you how it feels to be penetrated against your will._

Quinn and Helena felt something they had no words for – painful penetration followed by an infusion of sweet energy, and then a rush. They both looked down, confused and horrified, as they saw pieces of Skittles press against their skin, then burrow underneath. Both mother and son screamed in discomfort. But it was also the very idea of consuming Skittles via epidermal infusion that was disconcerting and sickening.

_Helena, what do you think? Has my punishment been firm enough? _Helena couldn't concentrate because she was writhing in pain from the Skittles that were continuously pushing their way into her body. But then she heard _Do you think I should do more?_

Sheer desperation helped give Helena the strength to grit out, "Noooooo. Arggggghh!"

_Oh, because I was worried that you might think the punishment was too fun. I mean, it does involve candy. And we both know how much Quinn loves candy. So, I just want to be clear. Despite my use of the candy in the punishment, you still think the discipline I've given to Quinn is sufficiently effective?_

Helena growled out, "Yessssss."

_And so you won't ever be telling me again how I am too soft when it comes to making Quinn understand that he's done something wrong?_

Again, the alpha wolf growled, "Noooooo."

_Good. This issue was a holdover from our earlier discussion. But we've had an opportunity to address the situation more fully with a real life example, and come to a mutual agreement. I sooo love it when that happens. Now I can check the issue of parental discipline off my list. This is why we should talk more._

Helena and Quinn continued to writhe on the floor. They both reached a new level of horrified as they felt Skittles pushing into their eyes.

_Now Quinn. Once you've consumed all the Skittles in the storage closet, we'll be done with this. However, what you did to Ben, and Terri, was brutal and heinous, and I need you to reflect on your actions. Therefore, I don't know what mischief you thought you were getting into tonight and tomorrow night, but I want you home right after work tonight and tomorrow, is that understood?_

The alpha tiger yelped, "Yesssssss."

_I know you have a date on Friday, so I don't want to embarrass you in front of your friends. I really don't like forcing you to stay home. You are a man. However, what you did to Ben and Terri was sadistic and childish. And if you're going to act like a child, then you force me to treat you like a child. Do you understand?_

Quinn groaned, "Yessssss."

_Oh, and when you go on that date with Kara, I trust that you now understand that torture isn't fun. And you also understand that no means no. Yes?"_

Quinn was initially confused by the question but said, "Nooooo."

_Wait. Do you mean, no, torture isn't fun or no, you still think no means yes?_

Quinn didn't know how to answer. He was in too much pain to think, so he thought it best to use complete sentences. He gritted out, "Inolongerthinktortureisfun."

_And what about when a lady, for example Kara, says no she doesn't want any of your Quinn Tiger dick or Quinn Vampire fangs pushing into her?_

Quinn agreed, "Nomeansnoalwaysnomeansno."

_Good. I love you, Son. Always. And I love you, too, Helena. Always._

Quinn and Helena felt the ethereal presence of Afrida leave them, but her power remained, at least to the extent that Skittles continued to push into their bodies. They both knew the agony wouldn't be over until all the Skittles in the storage room were gone, and there were a lot of Skittles left to go.

**_# # # # # _**

Afrida stood in her work area, her eyes still beaming sunlight. She regarded Ben's shell and the Skittles, and they disintegrated into subatomic parts and invisibility. She then watched as the note left by Quinn rewrote itself in different handwriting. All of this happened just in time, as Afrida heard someone trying to open the main door. She blinked off her sunlight eyes and turned to see Terri Curry and Terra, returning to seek news about Ben. She sighed and then went to open the door.

**_# # # # # _**

As Helena writhed in agony in the Sector 3 hallway she heard the emergency system shut off. After some unknown amount of time, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway, as workers returned to their offices. She was still experiencing the assaultive penetration of Skittles into every part of her body, so she was only mildly aware of being lifted into the air and carried. She heard hurried footsteps all around her and words like "maybe it's a seizure" and "Comstack Infirmary."

Helena eventually felt herself being placed on a hospital bed, and then there were two faces peering down at her. One belonged to a nurse who's name tag she couldn't read. The other face was a miserable looking old man. A doctor, human, and somewhat frail. He looked too old to still be working; and his hands shook considerably, which was not at all comforting.

Helena was still contorting in pain. She heard voices, she presumed they belonged to whoever carried her to the infirmary. They asked, "What's wrong with her?"

The old doctor, who's name tag read "Fixit," said, "I don't know. I haven't practiced medicine in more than twenty years. The real doctor is down the hall taking care of some injured boy cat. I took this job because I lost my retirement savings in the crash of 2008 and they told me it would be easy money because you animal people don't get sick."

Helena decided immediately that she didn't like Dr. Fixit. She made a move to get up and leave, but then Skittles pushed their way into her back and she collapsed onto the bed. "Arggggghhh. Sk-sk-sk-skittles."

Dr. Fixit said to the nurse, "We can do the intake while we wait for the real doctor to come over here."

Helena twisted on the bed in pain and clutched everywhere – her stomach, her chest, her face, her legs. Everything hurt all at once, and she was getting jittery from all the sugar she had consumed.

Dr. Fixit leaned over her and asked, "Now, they tell me your name is Wolfe, which I'm presuming means you're a wolf lady. So can you tell me what is causing the problem today? Why are you hurting?"

Helena cried out, "Skitttttttllllesss."

Dr. Fixit looked at the nurse to see if she knew what Helena had said, but she shook her head. _No. _Dr. Fixit leaned in closer and asked, "What was that, little lady? What's causing the pain?"

Helena screamed again, "Skittttlllles! Arrrrrrgggghh!"

The nurse said, "I think she's saying Skittles, Dr. Fixit."

Dr. Fixit was annoyed. _Stupid animal people_. He clarified, speaking a little loudly as if he thought the problem was that Helena couldn't hear him, "No, not what you want for a snack. What is causing the pain?"

Helena's eyes filled with tears of both pain and frustration as she once again growled, "Arrrrrrrggghhh. Skiiiiiiittttttttlllllllllessss!"

Dr. Fixit told the nurse, "Oh fuck this. We're not going to get through this intake until she gets some damn Skittles! She wants Skittles for some reason. Maybe it's a wolf thing. I don't know. Can you please bring her some Skittles. Now. Hurry."

After several minutes, the nurse returned with a bag of Skittles. She quickly tore open the pack and tried to push a few of the multi-colored candies in Helena's mouth. The alpha wolf's eyes widened in terror and she knocked the tiny bag of sugary goodness out of the nurse's hand. The alpha wolf screamed and shook her head violently as she begged, "Noooooo! No Skitttttttllllless!"

Dr. Fixit had had enough. He put up his hands, exasperated, and said to Helena, "Now look here, you. Make up your mind, little wolf lady. First you want Skittles. Then you don't want Skittles. Quit changin' your goddamn mind. I'm too old for this shit. Human. Wolf. I see all women are the same."

Helena growled and her eyes glinted yellow. Dr. Fixit rolled up the white washcloth he had been using to wipe the sweat off Helena's forehead and lodged it between Helena's teeth until her growling turned into a "Hmph. Urrrrrrgggg."

Dr. Fixit pointed his finger at Helena and said, "Don't you growl at me, little lady. I'm old enough to be your father. Show some goddamn respect. Now just lie here and try to make yourself comfortable. The real doctor will see you as soon as he finishes patching up that boy cat with the burnt up hair. And since you won't cooperate and answer basic questions about your pain, you can just wait for him to do your fucking intake."

All Helena could do was wait for the closet to empty of Skittles. By her estimation, she and Quinn had at least another hour of sugary torture to endure. Although Helena's hospital bed and Quinn's storage closet were several floors apart, the two of them were both united as one as they experienced their own private nightmare involving Skittles. Lots and lots of Skittles. The alpha wolf and alpha tiger were getting a sugary-sweet, excruciatingly painful, first-hand lesson on just how dangerous it was to have a pissed off goddess for a wife and mother.

* * *

_Girl I can't notice but to_

_Notice you, noticin' me_

_From across the room, I can see it_

_And can't stop myself from lookin' and _

_Noticin' you, noticin' me_

_Watch out, I've seen her type before_

_That girl is so dangerous, that girl is so DANGEROUS_

_That girl is a BAD GIRL – I've seen her type before_

_She's so dangerous, that girl is so DANGEROUS_

_That girl is a BAD GIRL! Yeahhhhh!_

**Ending Scene Song: ****_Dangerous _****by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon**

**Credits Song:****_ Planet Earth _****by Duran Duran**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies and other media quoted in this chapter include _True Blood, The Sixth Sense, As Good As It Gets, Jerry Maguire, Aliens, Pulp Fiction_ and_ Forrest Gump._

When Afrida describes Helena's fairy blast into her privates as "nature itself was shooting into" her, she's using the same words as Maryann Forrester when, during her wedding preparations for nuptials with the God Who Comes, the maenad described being blasted by Sookie in Season Two of True Blood.

Afrida quotes _The Sixth Sense_, but instead of seeing dead people she sees maenads.

When Helena says that everyone has these terrible stories and Afrida replies that some people have happy stories that involve good times and noodle salad, they are paying homage to the Oscar winning conversation between Helen Hunt (Best Actress) and Jack Nicholson (Best Actor) from _As Good As It Gets._

Afrida and Helena pay homage to Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding in the film _Jerry Maguire _when Afrida repeatedly implores Helena to "help me help you."

Kara motivates Team MSIG 2 in the midst of impending disaster by first telling them to "stay frosty" (_Aliens) _ and later to "be cool" like "Fonzie" (_Pulp Fiction_).

David Burke's emergence out of that hole in the desert in his eagle form hearkens to many different films, including those with themes around Phoenix rising from the ashes. As for me, I pictured a young Forrest breaking free from those leg braces at the critical moment when he needed his speed the most in _Forrest Gump;_ and Jenny screaming, "Run, Forrest. Run." Of course, David's Team MSIG 2 paraphrased as they yelled, "Fly, David. Fly!"

(2) When Kara tells her team, "We swore to protect [our country] against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Well this time, the enemy is us," she is paying homage to Walt Kelly, who wrote an award winning newspaper comic strip called _Pogo_, which ran from 1949 to 1973, the year Kelly died_. _The _Pogo _comic strip featured people-like animals, perhaps they were the first Weres. The comic strip characters were known for being simple cute animals who lived in the woods, but they made astoundingly profound observations about the state of the world and politics. Walt Kelly made a famous poster using the _Pogo _characters to commemorate the very first Earth Day, which was April 22, 1970. The caption on the poster read, "We have met the enemy and he is us." In the poster, Pogo is preparing to clean up all the environmental mess and garbage left all over the forest by thoughtless others. Colonel Kara apparently appreciated the double irony of being a Were (like the characters in _Pogo) _making this statement as she was trying to save part of Planet Earth (kind of like Earth Day.)

(3) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Cradle of Love_ by Billy Idol, _Under Pressure_ by Queen and David Bowie, _Dangerous_ by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon, and_ Planet Earth by _Duran Duran.


	14. Dangerous 2 - Goddess Afrida and Kara

**Epic Love Story – A Pam and Tara Novel**

**Chapter 14: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 2**

(The Goddess of Love Isn't _Always_ Dangerous; Kara Wellington,

aka Dangerous Damaged Diamonds)

**Author's Notes:** Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story. Happy Friday. :)

So the past two weeks have been extremely challenging for me. Work is extremely busy, and I will be traveling next week for work, which I think will give me 16 hours to write on the plane. So the next update will come soon. But mostly I'm down because I lost a friend / neighbor quite suddenly under heartbreaking circumstances. This chapter was going to be mostly dark, but I really wasn't able to do that. I needed something a bit more therapeutic and hopeful, so a lot of this chapter is about Afrida and the power of love. The last section is a bit dark and violent, hence the trigger warning.

* * *

**Full Disclosure:** I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case. This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which include this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara.** If you only want to read chapters that feature the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the PE Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the PE chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

* * *

This chapter is in eight parts, and it's all about dangerous women who will feature significantly in this Epic Love Story. Like Pam and Tara, these women are dangerous because they've been damaged by someone or something. But underneath all this damaged dangerousness, they are diamonds. Or to paraphrase The Man From Dallas, their crumbling edifices conceal the Taj Mahal. Personally, I have a special place in my heart for strong, somewhat dangerous women. They make history and blaze trails for all of us. By the time you finish all the parts of this chapter, you will know one or two really nice surprises. But I'm not telling.

I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Trigger Warning: The end of this chapter contains strong violence and suggestions of non-consensual sex.**

* * *

_**Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Wednesday, September 8, 2010**_

_**Department of Scientific Research and Development (SRD - Work Sector 3)**_

_**Ben Strikes Out on His Own; A New Beginning for Terri and Terra**_

Afrida knew this moment was coming, but the fact that it was here didn't make her dread it any less. She saw her obnoxious little Weretortoise, Terripin Curry, peering through the door and into the SRD 3 work area. His light brown eyes, framed by his thick, square-shaped glasses, were trained on Ben's tub, looking for any sign of his beloved pet. Afrida sighed. She knew Ben would not be returning. Ever. _Damn it, Quinn._

Terra Harris stood next to Terri, looking dutiful and supportive. Meanwhile, Afrida took the long walk across the room to open the main door to the SRD 3 work area, giving way to Terri as he pushed past her.

Terri looked absolutely despondent as he tried to make his way to Ben's tub. Before he got very far, Afrida gently but firmly grabbed his arm. "Terri, wait. I have to tell you something," Afrida said. But she didn't know exactly what she was going to say to Terri after that.

When she saw the mournful, expectant look in Terri's eyes, Afrida immediately knew that whatever was about to come out of her mouth wasn't going to be … couldn't be the brutal truth. So instead she found herself simply saying, "Ben's gone."

Both Terra and Terri, but especially Terri, looked confused and shocked. Terri kind of shouted, "What are you …? What are you talking about?!"

Afrida remained calm as she said, "I was here, and he … he must have come in and I didn't see him. Because I looked in his tub and found … well, you'll see it."

Terri's big brown eyes widened as he turned to Ben's tub. He walked in a way that, oddly, was both cautious and determined. Afrida and Terra watched him stop cold in his tracks. Terri stood over Ben's tub for several minutes. The little Weretortoise blinked and frowned as he tried to process that there was a note in Ben's tub. He slowly bent down and picked it up.

Terra and Afrida came next to Terri when they saw tears streaming down his rosy cheeks. The goddess affectionately ran her hands through the unruly, curly brown hair of her little Terri. Despite the unsavory attributes that Terri so often presented to the world, Afrida loved him, mostly because she could see past his faults to the wonderful core of who he was. Afrida also believed that Terri's beautiful core would dominate if he would just get laid. But for now, Terri had moved from one extreme to the other; and even team members who greatly disliked the little Weretortoise would likely feel a bit of sympathy for him right now. If there was anything Afrida hated more than Terri's rudeness, obnoxiousness and arrogance, it was seeing him like this.

Terri asked, "What does this mean?" as he wiped his eyes.

Terra took the note and read it aloud, "Dear Terri. I'm sorry but I had to leave. It's time for me to go on and live a new phase of my life. Love always. Ben."

Terra frowned in disbelief, then said, "This is … crazy. This must be a continuation of the prank. Ben is saying he had to leave and start a new phase of his life? _Ben. The pet tortoise?_ I don't think so. That's not possible."

Afrida frowned. The goddess had written that goodbye message on the fly. After weighing the options, she had decided it was best to say as little as possible in the note. The less written, the more room there was for creativity. And it's not like she had that much time to be creative, and Terra's rigid practicality wasn't helping at the moment.

Afrida interjected, "Look you guys, I know it seems hard to believe, but I think this may be Ben trying … in his own way … to tell us that while he enjoyed his time with us, he needed to move on."

Terra Harris was indeed practical. Practical, brilliant and extremely grounded. She liked fantasy as entertainment as much as the next person, but she wasn't one to be confused by the difference between fantasy and reality. So Afrida wasn't at all surprised when she felt Terra's pragmatic blue eyes boring into her, silently asking the goddess if she had lost her mind. And did she really think Ben the tortoise had written Terri a note before skipping town to start a new life?

But before Afrida could say anything else, Terri sniffled as he said, "I think you're right, General Afrida. This is definitely Ben's handwriting."

Afrida raised an eyebrow, and Terra looked at Terri, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. Terri wondered out loud, "But why didn't Ben ever say anything to me about … what he was feeling? Why would he just leave?"

Afrida calmly observed, "Well, Terri, maybe he tried to tell you in his own way what he was feeling, but you weren't paying attention."

Terri continued to sniffle as he frowned, trying to sort out what Afrida was saying to him. He objected, "But I paid attention to Ben all the time."

Afrida gently replied, "You paid attention to him as you did all the things _you_ wanted to do. But maybe … just maybe … Ben had some things that _he_ wanted to do with his life. And he couldn't do them being here in his tub in our little research center in SRD 3."

"Things like what?" Terri asked.

To Afrida's surprise, Terri looked just a little calmer. Terra, in contrast, looked as if she suddenly found herself in the Twilight Zone. She continued to look back and forth between Afrida and Terri during this exchange, as if the two of them had both gone mad.

Afrida ignored Terra and focused on keeping Terri calm and making him even calmer. She thought for a moment and said, "Well, Terri. Like maybe … love. A girlfriend, maybe. Ben couldn't really meet anyone new here. Another tortoise, for example. Because he was the only one. When a young …"

Afrida paused for a moment, because she almost said "young man." But she recovered and continued, " … _young tortoise_ … is ready for that sort of thing, a relationship … even the _best_ best friend is a poor substitute. I think Ben just felt … He just felt it was time to strike out on his own, and he picked this way to tell you. Maybe because he didn't know how else to do it. He loves you, and he wanted you to know that. But this sudden departure is about him and his life, and in no way about hurting you."

Terri nodded and thought for a moment. Then he observed, "Come to think of it, Ben hasn't been himself lately."

Afrida quickly asked, as if Ben's recent state of being "out of sorts" was a possible clue to why he suddenly left, "Did you notice when Ben started to change?"

Terra's mouth opened just a bit wider. Then she closed it and rolled her eyes. Afrida kept the practical, incredulous Weretortoise on "ignore."

Terri thought and said, "Hmm, maybe starting a few weeks ago, when Ben and I started watching some nature shows on _Animal Planet._ We watched this one show that was all about tortoises in the wild. I thought he would like it."

Afrida paced back and forth, looking like she might have the answer. She said, "I think that makes sense, Terri. I'm sure that show depicted tortoises living and socializing in the wild? Having a family? _Mating?_"

Terri frowned and nodded. Then he said, "Yes. I … I rewound the mating part a few times." The little Weretortoise looked up and saw Terra and Afrida staring at him. He blushed and then clarified, "Uhm ... Just for research purposes. It was very educational."

Afrida smiled slightly and said, "Hmm mmm. Well maybe Ben was affected by all that … research. Maybe it triggered something in him. Something that made him want the things he saw on that tortoise show. Like a girlfriend. Like … _mating._"

Terri nodded as if this was making sense to him now. He lamented, "If Ben had just talked to me, I would have gotten him a girlfriend."

Afrida explained, "Well, maybe that's precisely why Ben left the way he did, Terri. He knew that no matter what he said, you would have an answer for it. And your answer would always be a way to keep Ben from leaving and pursuing his dreams. Some things a young tortoise wants and needs to do for himself. Like picking his own girlfriend. Does that make sense? Can you understand that?"

After a few long seconds, Terri nodded and said, "Yes. My big brother Torypin just got his own place and moved out because my Mom kept trying to match him up with all these different girls from church. She's been a freak about trying to make Tory date what she calls _a good, decent girl from an upstanding family_. She's been like that ever since last year when she caught him in his hotel room at San Diego Comic-Con having rough sex with that late night talk show host Chelsea Letterman.

My Mom and Dad just happened to go to Comic-Con last year because my grandfather was having his ninetieth birthday celebration in San Diego at the same time. But after Chelsea Letterman had rough sex with my brother, my Mom vowed she's going with us every year from now on and we're all staying in the same suite. We all went together and stayed together this year, and she says it will be that way from now on. She watches us like a hawk when we're at Comic-Con because she doesn't want another woman like what she calls _that nasty, twisted bitch Chelsea Letterman_ fucking her sons."

Afrida's eyes widened a little as she took in this story. Then she said, "And what does your brother Tory feel about all of this?"

Terri answered easily, "He told my Mom he doesn't want a boring girl. He wants a girl like Chelsea Letterman. He likes things edgy and rough. My Mom doesn't know it, but Tory's dating a Goth girl. She's the lead singer in a band called the Death Dolls. He met her this year at the Wave Goth Festival in Leipzig, Germany. Her band performed there."

Afrida raised an eyebrow and remarked, "I see. So you understand that Ben, perhaps like your brother Tory, wanted to chart his own course when it came to matters of love?"

Terri nodded and continued to sniffle a little. He looked back and forth from Ben's note to Ben's tub. He slumped down in the chair at his desk, taking in the fact that his beloved pet and friend was gone and wouldn't be coming back.

Afrida started to breathe a sigh of relief, as it appeared that Terri was going to deal with the loss of Ben without needing a psychiatric visit to Comstack Infirmary. While Terri seemed to have no problem accepting the fantastical facts related to Ben's sudden departure, "steeped in the real world" Weretortoise Terra Harris was incredulous and had heard enough.

Terra exhaled, "Look General Afrida, I can't listen to anymore of this. I don't think for one minute that Ben, the pet tortoise, wrote Terri a note and strolled out of here at what? 0.15 miles per hour? I mean, if that's the case, then Ben probably hasn't even left the base. We should just gather up a posse and go find him. It's wrong to be encouraging Terri to embrace this kind of fantasy. He has enough trouble grasping reality as it is. I think we should be trying to find the person who took Ben and-"

Afrida interrupted Terra's tirade by grabbing the Weretortoise's arm and pulling her gently into her office. Fortunately, Terri seemed to be off in his head and not listening to Terra. The goddess took a quick look at her little desolate Terri, who was still slumped and sniffling at his desk, then she closed the door to her office.

**# # # # #**

_**Afrida Talks Woman to Woman With Terra **_

Afrida turned to Terra and said, "Okay Terra, I think it's time for you and I to have a talk, woman to woman."

Terra regarded Afrida, confused, but said, "Okay, General Afrida. But … wait. I wanted to ask you earlier, but it seemed inappropriate given what's going on with Ben. Why are you dressed like this?" Terra gestured to Afrida's Greek chiton dress.

Afrida casually explained, "I'm wearing this because I was so stressed about Ben's sudden departure and what it was going to do to poor Terri that I couldn't function in my uniform anymore; and this is the only civilian clothing I had in my work closet. I'm a … nymph and entitled to wear it, but normally I don't because it's somewhat revealing. But since I told everyone to go home, there's no one here to see me, so why not wear it?"

Terra nodded, seeming to understand, but still looking a little unbelieving. Afrida continued, "Now about Terri and Ben, I know you're skeptical Terra, but I really need you to work with me on this. Right now, Ben is gone, and I have no reason to believe he's coming back. You know Terri better than I do. Do you think he'll be in a more functional state of mind than he is right now if rather than believing Ben left him a caring note about moving on to start a happy new life, Terri instead thinks that something terrible happened to his beloved pet?"

Terra frowned and shook her head. "I guess not."

Afrida sighed and said, "Neither do I. So maybe … just maybe … Ben _did_ decide to move on to a new phase of life, to find love, sex and happiness. Perhaps my view of what happened to Ben is a plausible explanation." And then in response to Terra's unbelieving expression, "Perhaps highly unlikely, but still plausible, Terra."

Terra stared at Afrida. Afrida stared back and raised her eyebrows, silently saying, _"Support me on this. Please."_

Terra, being the insightful woman that she was, sighed and eventually relented, "After considering it further, I think you're right, General Afrida. I think Ben _has been_ a little distant lately, and all evidence points to him just needing to find his own way in life, to be independent and go out on his own. He wanted a girlfriend and sex, and it was clear he wasn't going to find that here with us. So he moved on the best way he knew how."

Afrida smiled, pleased that Terra was now with the program. Terra said as she turned for the door, "Fine, I'll go home with Terri and make sure he's okay. I'm sure I can point to some other things that bolster the view that Ben is out in the world somewhere living the life. I'll just-"

But Afrida pulled Terra back before she could reach the door and said, "No. I don't think that's how you should be spending your time with Terri right now. He doesn't need to dwell on Ben. He needs to move on to something else."

Afrida stared at Terra, who stared back at her blankly. The Weretortoise had no idea what the goddess was talking about.

Afrida saw Terra's confusion and explained, "Terra, perhaps my observations about Ben weren't just about Ben. Maybe I was giving a bit of subtle advice to a certain little Weretortoise scientist. Maybe it's time that Terri, like Ben, focused on something else besides _Animal Planet_, Pokemon and World of Warcraft."

"He does. It's called Halo, zombie films and disaster board games," Tara quipped dryly.

Afrida came back with, "Besides those. Which brings me to you."

Terra raised her brows and asked, "Me? What about me?"

Afrida asked, "Be honest. How do you feel about Terri?"

Terra answered easily, "He's arrogant, rude, argumentative, offensive, and always thinks he's the most brilliant person in every room. He's too short, combs his hair funny and wears the same five pairs of corduroy pants every week because he's too cheap to invest in a real wardrobe. He's pudgy because he doesn't get any exercise and he's too pale because he never goes outside. He's overly predictable, and escalates into crazy if the slightest thing in his environment changes. He has too many unhealthy fixations to count and no social skills whatsoever. And I love him."

Afrida said, "You're a realist and you know yourself. I've always loved that about you, Terra. Do you want him?"

Terra frowned a little and asked, "Want him how? You mean romantically? Sexually?"

Afrida agreed, "Yes."

Terra was nonplussed as she said, "I've been trying to get with Terri for two years. He doesn't notice that I'm interested."

Afrida asked, "Have you told Terri that you want to be with him? That you want to make love with him? Plainly?"

Terra looked horrified and said, "No. Of course not. My Mom says no woman, at least no respectable woman, approaches a man like that. It looks desperate and cheap. The man should pursue the woman."

Afrida shook her head and said, "Listen Terra. I'll agree to a point that given certain heterosexual norms in our particular culture, it's sometimes wise for a woman to allow a bit of the chase on the part of a male suitor. However, every rule has its exception, and this situation with you and Terri is one of them. The man you're in love with isn't a pursuer. He doesn't even know how to chase, and he has too many non-romantic distractions, so he's not easily motivated to get out of his shell. No pun intended."

Terra entertained the idea for a brief moment, then said, "Nooooo. No, no, no, no, no. What if I put myself out there and get shot down. I'd feel like an idiot. And Terri's the kind of person that makes you feel like shit. Besides, he may not even feel the same way about me."

Afrida said, "Yes, Terra. Terri _does_ feel the same way about you. He just doesn't know how to show it. And the times when he thinks about it, he lets fear push it out of his mind."

Terra skeptically asked, "How are you so sure about this, General Afrida?"

Afrida replied, "Let's just say I happen to enjoy matchmaking. It's a little hobby of mine, and I'm good at it. Have you noticed that everyone on our team except you and Terri are happily hooked up? Doesn't that give me some credibility on this issue?"

Terra thought about it and slowly agreed, "Yes, I guess."

Afrida took a quick glance at Terri, who was still sitting at his desk, sniffling. Not much, if anything, had changed with his mood. Nevertheless, Afrida was feeling like she needed to get this plan in motion. She closed the blinds in her office, and spoke in quick clips as she advised Terra on how to play the game of love.

Afrida: Then trust me and follow my advice. By tonight, you're going to have your very own little Weretortoise boyfriend. And neither of you will be virgins anymore.

Terra (eyes suddenly wide): Wha… . Wait a minute. What are you talking about?

Afrida: It's time for us to take the offensive. You're going to seduce Terri.

Terra (panicking): General Afrida, I haven't even kissed another person, just my pillow. I wouldn't know where to start with seducing anyone.

Afrida: You're not seducing just anyone. You're seducing Terri. You have everything and know everything you need to do that. Trust me.

Terra: But … but, I can't do –

Afrida: Listen, the word "can't" is not in our vocabulary right now.

Terra: Speak for yourself.

Afrida: Just stop it and listen to me. Can you trust me?

Several long seconds went by.

Terra: Yes, but –

Afrida: No "buts." Just trust me. Now, a simple seduction involves three elements – mental arousal, physical arousal and ambience. You've already mentally aroused Terri, so we can check that off our list. Now let's talk about physical arousal. Physical seduction is all about presentation. It's about showing the other person something they haven't seen before, or showing them the same thing they've seen but in a different light.

Terra: Well, I don't have that.

Afrida: Yes, you most certainly do. I'll show you. Take down your hair.

Terra removed the scrunchy that was holding her long, curly brown tresses in a ponytail.

Afrida: Oh my god. Look at your hair. It's beautiful. Why don't you ever wear it down? It feels like silk.

Terra: Why would I do that?

Afrida (shaking her head): Never mind. Okay, show me you can flick your hair.

Terra: What?

Afrida: Flick your hair.

Terra: I don't know how to do that.

Afrida (demonstrating): Like this.

Terra tried, but it looked like she was having a seizure. Afrida frowned.

Terra: I told you. I don't know how to do that stuff.

Afrida: Wait, okay. Look down and pretend you're reading something.

Terra followed Afrida's instruction.

Afrida: Now pretend I called you and you suddenly had to look up. I'll do it now. Terra!

Terra did what she was told and quickly looked up when Afrida called her name, which gave the effect of flicking her hair.

Afrida: Nice, beautiful. Okay, do that. You're going to let your hair down, and then do that. Pretend you're reading something and I suddenly call you and you have to look up.

Terra: Wait, when do I do that? This is confusing.

Afrida: Trust me. It won't be. I'm going to tell you when to do it. Now take off your glasses. Let me see your eyes.

Terra took off her glasses and squinted.

Afrida: I can't see your eyes.

Terra: I can't see.

Afrida: Do you have contacts?

Terra: No.

Afrida: Why not?

Terra: Why?

Afrida: Okay, okay.

The goddess wanted to give Terra better eyesight for the seduction, but she knew Terra well enough to know she couldn't just do that. The logical, scientific Weretortoise would demand an explanation for suddenly having perfect vision. Afrida looked around. She suddenly had an idea. She grabbed a Mentos from her desk drawer and gave it to Terra.

Afrida: Here. Eat this.

Terra: What is this?

Afrida: Uhm, it's a little experimental drug I've been working on. It temporarily improves vision.

Terra (frowning skeptically as she tasted the mint): It tastes like a Mentos.

Afrida: Uhm, that's by design. If you want people to take medication, the easiest thing to do is make it taste good. Right?

Terra: Medication? More like crazy pills. I feel like I've been taking crazy pills since I walked into this work area and started talking about Ben and his love notes. Hey, I can see. Without my glasses. How is this possible?

Afrida: Yes, I told you it's an experimental drug. But don't get too happy. Uhm, it's only going to last for about 24 hours, and then you're going to need your glasses again.

Terra: You invented a drug that cures 20/200 vision and astigmatism for a day?

Afrida: That's why it's still in its experimental stages. It's not workable for most situations, but for you and this seduction, it's perfect. What does all that matter, anyway? The point is you can see, and Terri will be able to gaze into your eyes. Now, look at me.

Terra opened her eyes and looked at Afrida.

Afrida: Terra, I don't believe this. You have the most beautiful eyes. They're like the clearest, bluest sea. Okay… hmm, hold on a moment …

Afrida searched her desk drawers, and suddenly a pair of glasses materialized.

Afrida: Here, put these on.

Terra: What are these?

Afrida: They're fashion frames, non-prescription. You don't need your prescription glasses right now, since your vision is perfect. But you still need eyeglasses to wear, because we don't want your little Terri to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours until just the right moment.

Terra (skeptical): And you just happen to have fashion frames lying around in your desk? I've never seen you wear these before.

Afrida (exasperated): Terra, must you question everything? It's a wonderful quality to have as a scientist, but it's getting in the way of progress right now. So what if you never saw me wear fashion frames before? I have a life outside of work, you know; and it includes lots of things that I don't do when I'm here, like maybe wearing dresses like the one I'm wearing now and fashion frames. This is all off topic, and time is wasting.

Terra (putting on the fashion frames): I'm sorry, General Afrida. I … I'm just nervous, and this is all moving so fast all of a sudden.

Afrida: No, Terra. That's where you're wrong. This hasn't been moving nearly fast enough. You and Terri have been limping along in this little love race. But tonight, you're going to surge forward, past the finish line. Finally.

Afrida took a quick look through her blinds and saw Terri, still sitting motionless at his desk, mourning the loss of Ben.

Afrida: Okay, hurry. Open up your shirt and drop your pants. Let's see what we're working with.

Terra's eyes widened. She started to protest, then quieted herself and did as she was told.

Afrida: Victoria's Secret _Dream Angels Collection_, matching ensemble, no less. Very nice. I'm impressed.

Terra: Well, you told us at that girl's lunch you threw for us last year that women should always wear nice, matching underwear, preferably something lacey. Just in case …. Although, I don't think I ever have to worry about unexpectedly being in some random place and finding myself having hot, unplanned sex. But the part about suddenly being hit by a delivery truck and getting taken in an ambulance with mismatched underwear was compelling and more likely to happen to me.

Afrida: And you see, Terra. You're wrong. Because right now we're planning how you're going to seduce Terri. So you _are_ going to be unexpectedly having hot sex. And look at this. You're prepared, with matching, black lacey Victoria's Secret underwear. And Terra, your body is smoking hot. It's the stuff that dreams are made of.

Terra: It's because I run.

Afrida: You do?

Terra: Yes, ultra marathons.

Afrida: I didn't think Weretortoises would be able to or enjoy running.

Terra: Well, I don't run while shifted, General Afrida. Anyway, Weretortoises are really good at running ultra marathons, extremely long distances. Our metabolisms are very slow and we have lots of physical and mental endurance.

Afrida: Huh. Well, anyway. Your body is stunning. I can't believe you hide all this hotness underneath oversized khaki pants and long sleeved button down shirts.

Terra: Well, why would I be exposing myself at work?

Afrida: Okay, point taken. Underneath the nerdy getup you wear by day, you hide mesmerizing eyes, flawless skin, silky shiny tresses, a smoking hot body, and for the next day thanks to me, perfect vision. But now I need you to go back to being Clark Kent. Clothes on. And you're already wearing the fashion frames. Tie up your hair again.

Terra: Okay. What now?

Afrida: We need a romantic setting for your little seduction to happen. Which one, you or Terri's place?

Terra: Nooooo! General Afrida, you know both Terri and I live with our parents.

Afrida: Oh, that's right. I'm sorry. I guess I got so excited about this seduction I didn't take that into account. So neither your place nor Terri's place is an option, huh?

Terra: Nuh uh. No. I'm not trying to have sex with Terri at my house or at his Mom's house. At least not my first time. That's just asking for serious, life altering trauma. Neither one of our Moms can stay out of our rooms, and they don't knock. I have to wait until my Mom goes to sleep just to masturbate, and she watches late night TV.

Afrida: Oh, that sucks. Okay, how about a hotel?

Terra: No, our moms check our credit card statements, so that's just asking for trouble for one of us to have a charge for a local hotel room show up. Plus, Terri's mom is on the look out for slutty sex with nasty bitches like Chelsea Letterman, so she would zone in on a hotel charge on Terri's credit card statement. Besides, Terri has big time fears about bedbugs and germs. He's not going to a hotel, except for something big like Comic-Con, and even then he freaks out.

Afrida: All of that sucks big time.

Terra: Yeah, tell me about it. So we don't have a place. This wasn't meant to happen, but thanks for trying.

Terra headed for the door, but Afrida pulled her back.

Afrida: Not so fast. You give up on things much too quickly. Hold on. Let me think.

Terra stared blankly while Afrida thought about the problem.

Afrida: Okay, I've got it. You're using my place, my apartment in DC.

Terra: What?

Afrida: Yes, that's it. That's the perfect place. It's private and you won't be interrupted, and it will give you the third thing you need for a seduction – ambience. These are the keys to my place. I'm writing down the address and apartment number. Here. Take it, and the keys.

Terra: But … our mothers are expecting us home. Especially because of the earthquake.

Afrida: Earthquake?

Terra: Uhhhh, yeah. General Afrida, you do remember that we just had the biggest earthquake in Arizona history?

The goddess frowned. _Earthquake? What fucking earthquake?_ But she saw Terra staring at her suspiciously and quickly recovered.

Afrida: Uhm, of course. Of course I remember the earthquake. But what does that have to do with you needing to get home?

Terra: It has to do with it because our mothers were freaking out until they heard from us and now they want us to come home.

Afrida: Well, you can't right now because … because the VA Program needs you for a _special project_ that has to be completed this evening.

Terra: Except our mothers know the workplace rules better than me and Terri; and they know we can't stay on the base until all the buildings have been safety checked.

Afrida: And _that_ is why you're working on said special project this evening at a top secret location in Washington, DC.

Terra: I'll never get that past my mother.

Afrida: Don't worry. I'll call Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Curry for you. _I'll_ personally tell them that you and Terri are safe, but you won't be coming home until late tonight. Top secret government stuff must go on, even in the aftermath of a natural disaster. So you'll teleport to Washington, D.C. and use my place.

Terra: Well, first we have to find a place to eat dinner. Terri has to eat exactly at 7:00 pm or he gets upset.

Afrida: No, you can eat at my place. Everything you need is at my apartment.

Terra: But Terri basically only eats salads and fruits, and mostly his Mom's salad surprise and fruit medley.

Afrida: Well what do you know, I have that. It just so happens that Terri's Mom frequently sends me her salad surprise and fruit medley, and she gave me the recipes. I eat them all the time. There's an endless supply of Terri's favorite salad and fruits in my refrigerator right now.

_Meanwhile, in Afrida's apartment, several bowls of salad surprise and fruit medley suddenly appeared in the goddess's refrigerator._

Terra, once again, looked doubtful and shocked at this coincidence, but this time she kept her mouth shut about it.

Afrida: Now, let's talk about what else you need in my apartment for ambience. The idea is to make the setting as familiar and comfortable as possible. We want Terri to relax and feel at home so he's in the mood to be amorous. What other things does he love? What will make him feel at home?

Terra frowned as if she believed it highly unlikely that General Afrida's home would have any of the trappings that would elate a nerdy male Weretortoise like Terri.

Afrida (reading Terra's mind): Just say it, Terra. I might surprise you. Maybe I'm really a geeky male Weretortoise on the inside.

Terra: Okaaaayyyyy. Well Terri's favorite drinks are orange soda and triple jolt cola.

Afrida tried to hide a grimace.

Terra: Orange flavor excites his taste buds, and all the caffeine in the triple jolt cola helps him program and problem solve.

_Suddenly, endless cans of orange soda and triple jolt cola lined Afrida's refrigerator. They pushed in next to the bowls of salad and fruit. For good measure, several boxes of orange soda and triple jolt cola stacked themselves in Afrida's pantry._

Afrida: Well again, we're in luck. It just so happens that two of my favorite things to drink are orange soda and triple jolt cola. I have tons of both in the fridge and the pantry. What else?

Terra: Uhhhhm … Well, he loves chocolate bars and Skittles.

Afrida: Any particular kind of chocolate bars?

Terra: No, he'll eat almost any kind of chocolate bar. That's the one little area where Terri tries to be adventurous and experiment with new things.

_Suddenly, bags and bags of assorted chocolate candies appeared in Afrida's cupboards, as did packs and packs of Skittles._

Afrida: Well, it appears luck is on our side again. It just so happens that I started buying Halloween candy early this year. We got way more kids than I expected last year, and so this year I wanted to be prepared. I have an endless supply of assorted chocolate candy bars. Just look in the kitchen cabinets and eat as much as you want. And there's Skittles, too. I like Skittles, but my wife and son _really_ go crazy for them. Haha.

Terra: General Afrida, I find it hard to believe that you like any kind of soda, let alone triple jolt cola. And I've never seen you eat Skittles.

Afrida: Well, Terra, never judge a book by its cover. We all have our little secrets. Skittles is one of mine. Next?

Terra: Well, the only other thing I can think of is video games. Terri loves video games, as you know. Playing for a while would probably relax him. It got his mind off Ben all afternoon and -.

_Suddenly, several gaming systems appeared out of thin air in the goddess's living room. They magically connected themselves to Afrida's television. Then an endless assortment of games for each system appeared, neatly alphabetized on the floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves that comprised Afrida's living room wall._

Afrida: Good, then we're set. I have Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 all connected to my television, and an endless supply of games for each. Oh, and I just got the Kinect for Xbox, _Star Wars: The Force Unleashed_ and _Quantum Theory._

The goddess had probed Terra's thoughts for favorite games and systems, but she knew something was wrong when Terra frowned.

Terra: Uhm, General Afrida? Kinect for Xbox, _Star Wars: The Force Unleashed_ and _Quantum Theory_ aren't supposed to be released for another several months. I know because I was with Terri when he placed himself on a wait list for all three a few weeks ago. How do you have them before they're even out on the market?

Afrida (eyes widening in a bit of surprise): Okay, uhm, well … I don't want to say too much, really. Let's just say I've got a friend in the industry, and I don't want to get him or her in trouble. But I sometimes get a peak at things while they're in the testing stage. Look, enough with the questions. The point is that my apartment is the perfect place for this seduction because it has everything to put your little Weretortoise in the mood. Yes?

Terra: Yes. Okay, I guess.

Afrida: Good. Okay. Now here's what you're going to do. You'll get there, get settled, then situate at the dining table for a salad and fruit dinner promptly at 7:00 pm, just the way Terri likes. You'll wash it down with orange soda and triple jolt cola, and you've got all the chocolate and Skittles you want for dessert. Then you'll move things over to the living room sofa, and that's when the real work begins.

Terra: What are we doing on the sofa? Playing video games?

Afrida: No, Terri will be playing video games. You will be _pretending_ to play video games, but you'll really be seducing Terri.

Terra: What? How?

Afrida: How good are you at gaming? Can you beat Terri?

Terra: I can beat Terri's ass at everything. I play just well enough to be competitive, but I let him win so he won't be upset. My Mom told me to do that because men don't like to get beaten by women.

Afrida: Terra, normally I'm not in favor of a woman diminishing herself or downplaying her abilities for love, but in this case we're going to use it to our advantage. You're going to play games with Terri, but tell him you want to play strip gaming.

Terra: What?

Afrida: Strip gaming. The loser has to remove an article of clothing after each game. You're going to win just so that you get Terri stripped down to his underwear. And you're going to deliberately lose and slowly get undressed in front of Terri, all the way down to your Vicki's. Win and lose randomly so that it doesn't look suspicious. But don't alternate winning and losing. As we both know, alternating isn't random either. By the time you're both wearing nothing but your underwear, Terri will forget all about whatever game you're playing and want to play a very different game.

At this point, the pretty Weretortoise was openly gaping at Afrida.

Afrida: Problem, Terra?

Terra: Yes. You're asking me to … to get almost naked in front of Terri. And to get Terri almost naked in front of me.

Afrida: Yes, I am. That's the whole point, Terra. Eventually you're both going to be _completely_ naked. I mean really, how else are you going to have sex? Maybe later if you want to have sex with your clothes on, that's great. Clothes on works wonderfully for sexing in storage closets because you never know when you might get interrupted. But for your first time, completely naked is definitely the way to go. And you're going to have my entire apartment all to yourself, so what's to stop you? So think of it like you're just getting a head start on the nakedness in the living room.

Terra looked like she was starting to hyperventilate.

Terra: I'm sorry, General Afrida. I appreciate everything you're trying to do. I really, really do. But this all seems so … orchestrated.

Afrida: It is. Again, that's the whole point.

Terra: No. I don't have a problem with the _idea_ of orchestration. I just have a big issue with the _execution_ of orchestration. I'm panicking about what to do and when, and I'm worried that I'm just going to make a fool of myself.

Afrida: Okay, okay. Listen. This is a little unorthodox, but if you're not embarrassed, I can be there with you for part of it, just until you get comfortable with what you're doing.

Terra: What? How … how are you going to do that?

Afrida: I'll be hovering outside the window of my apartment. I'll give you signals about what to do. At some point, nature is going to take its course and you'll know exactly what to do. Then I can be out. Until then, just look for me outside the window. But you can't let Terri see or know what we're doing, okay?

Terra: Wait, I know you don't like all these questions, General Afrida. But this address says you're on the fifth floor of your building. How can you possibly be hovering five stories off the ground?

Afrida (sighing): I told you, Terra. I'm a nymph. Nymphs can fly, and we don't have time to get into the technicalities of that now. All you need to know is that I can fly and I'll be hovering outside the window if you need me. Okay?

Terra (looking a bit more confident): O –o-o-o kay.

Afrida: Very good. Now let's go over some simple signals. This … means take off your glasses. This … means give Terri eye contact. This … means take your hair down. This … means flick your hair. When I clap my hands together like this, it means go for it and push Terri down on the sofa, then get on top of him and start kissing him. You both should be wearing nothing but your underwear, and your hair should be down and glasses should be off by the time this happens. Not before. Don't worry if you can't remember, because why?

Terra: Because if I need help you will be right outside the window to give me signals.

Afrida: Yes, good. Now we're working as a team. Now, just a bit of advice about the moment of truth so to speak. At some point, I'm going to wave my hands … like this. That means pull Terri up from the sofa and take him into the bedroom. There you'll find fresh scented sheets - essences of lavender, and dandelions and other fresh flowers. You will also find a tiny bar next to the bed stocked with water, orange soda and triple jolt cola.

_Meanwhile, the bed in Afrida's master bedroom stripped then remade itself with flowery scented sheets. And bottled water and Terri's favorite drinks suddenly replaced the wine in the mini-bar next to the goddess's bed._

Terra (a little amazed): Those are Terri's and my favorite scents. I like them because of the fragrance. Terri likes them because he really likes eating flowers.

Afrida: Well, it seems we have a lot in common. And it's convenient because I know tortoises have an excellent sense of smell and love flowers. Now, finally, I'm not telling you when to … you know … become as one. You'll figure that out on your own.

Terra blushed.

Afrida: I figure by the time you're ready for that, you'll both know what to do, with one exception. When it's time for sexual union, you need to take control. Don't put Terri in the position of trying to figure out how to get it in, or you'll be a little sorry.

Terra: Why?

Terri: Because he's a virgin, and probably doesn't know your anatomy. Invariably, he's going to push into the wrong orifice. And unless you're more adventurous than I think, I'm pretty sure you don't want to go anal for your first time.

Terra grimaced, a little horrified, and shook her head. _No._

Afrida: I didn't think so. You can let him try to take the lead, but be prepared to help him. Okay, I think that's everything. Let's –

Terra: Wait.

Afrida: Yes.

Terra: Uhm …

Several seconds went by, as Terra fidgeted.

Afrida: We're speaking frankly, Terra. You can talk to me about anything. I'm not easily embarrassed, and you shouldn't be, either. Love and sex are wonderful, natural experiences to be cherished, not hidden. You have a concern. I can see it. Tell me.

Terra: I'm afraid of … well, what about …? Pain? I'm concerned about pain. It's my first time. My sister told me her first time wasn't that great at all. It hurt like hell. I mean, she and my brother-in-law eventually figured things out, but her first time wasn't this sweeping, romantic experience. It just hurt, a lot.

Afrida: Hmm. Did your sister marry a Weretortoise?

Terra (chuckling a little): No, she didn't. For the longest time, it was quite the scandal in both my family and his. He's a Werehare.

Afrida: A tortoise and a hare. How incredibly adorable. Opposites attracting.

Terra: Yeah, well both our families were hoping for divorce. And then my sister and brother-in-law had kids, three so far. Then all of a sudden everybody started getting along, and our parents and his parents fight over who gets to babysit the grandkids.

Afrida: Hmmm. Nothing like grandchildren to make bigoted parents come around, at least sometimes. Well, I can see why your sister might have had a difficult first time. Hares move a bit too fast while tortoises are much slower. I'm guessing that's what happened. You and Terri won't have that problem at all.

Terra (still looking scared): Okay.

Afrida: Okay, I can see you're still worried about this, so I'll be more detailed.

Terra: I like details.

Afrida: I know you do. Listen, the keys to pleasurable sexual penetration are the same, regardless of the type of penetration or the couple. Boy-girl. Girl-girl. Boy-boy. The three rules are exactly the same - get aroused, go slowly and relax. Okay, remember that.

This is your first time and you're all nervous and excited, so arousal will be there before your clothes come off. That arousal is only going to grow as you progress, but still, go slowly. Terri goes slowly at everything, and I'm sure this won't be the exception.

As for what to do specifically when the time for penetration comes … hmm, I think for you, let Terri be on top. It's counterintuitive, but you'll have more control that way. You can hold his hips. Terri is smaller than you, so you can handle him, even if you're on the bottom. Let him move in slowly, but hold him in place and breathe if you start to feel discomfort. Do this until the two of you are completely ... together. Understood?

Terra (sounding more confident): Yes. I understand.

Afrida: After time number one, I'm sure the two of you will figure out all sorts of other positions that are quite fun. The two of you can discover all about that another time, when you're not in my apartment.

Terra blushed.

Afrida: Okay. Then that's everything, I think. You're ready. Let's get this love show on the road. It will be time for you and Terri to have dinner soon.

_**# # # # #**_

_**Manhattan, New York (Helena, M and Quinn at Home)**_

_**Helena Talks to M and Recovers From Her Skittles Attack**_

General M floated steadily onto the balcony of his apartment, careful not to upset the delicate cargo he carried. He cradled his 6'4", 245 lb. son in his arms, while at the same time holding his wife Helena over his right shoulder. He cradled Quinn's upper body in his left hand and held the alpha tiger's legs across his right forearm. M used his right hand to hold Helena's arms so she didn't slip off his shoulder.

After landing on the balcony, M gently rested Helena in one chair and dropped Quinn in a recliner. M fished out his keys from his inside jacket pocket and opened the balcony door, which opened to the living room. He then carried Helena, who was mostly sleeping but occasionally seemed to be conscious of her surroundings, and rested her on the sofa. M then went for Quinn and carried him to his room.

Quinn was barely responsive as M plopped the tiger onto his bed. M sat Quinn up for a moment and removed the top part of his uniform, then rested him on his pillow and removed his pants. Once Quinn was clad only in his Aquaman boxer briefs, M situated him for sleep and covered him with a sheet. He knelt and kissed his big tiger on the forehead and roughed his hair, then said, "Good night, Son."

M strolled back into the living room and found Helena in a state similar to Quinn. Mother and Son were both exhausted from enduring hours of discomfort and pain from the epidermal consumption of thousands of Skittles. They also had moved from jittery to the inevitable crash that followed such a large and sudden intake of sugar.

M carried Helena to bed and undressed her. When she was totally nude he asked, "Do you want to sleep like this or in pajamas?"

"Like this, no pajamas," Helena replied softly, struggling to open her eyes. "Come to bed, MacArthur" she added.

M said, "Okay, I'm just going to grab something from the kitchen. Do you want a bite to eat?" M smiled at his wife as he took off his shoes and the top part of his uniform. He thought to himself that this night of coming to bed with his wife was so different, so much better despite Helena's weakened state, than the night before.

Helena shook her head and mumbled, "Noooo. No food. No more food going into my body, at least for the rest of the night."

M strolled in sock feet into the kitchen, bare chested and wearing his work pants. Helena drifted in and out of consciousness as she listened to the sounds of M making himself something to eat. She could tell he was standing in the kitchen eating and drinking.

After some time, M returned to the bedroom. Helena asked, "How is Quinn?"

M said, "You probably know better than I do. He seems more out of it than you, probably because he was the direct recipient of Afrida's discipline."

Helena agreed, "Yes, there's minimal activity flowing through our bond right now. He's knocked out, not even dreaming. If I wasn't so exhausted, jittery and achy, I could really enjoy the silence. I can't tell you how nice it is not to be bombarded with the raging hormones of four male babies and imaginary strippers gyrating on my lap."

M smiled and considered this as he removed his pants. He looked up when he heard Helena laughing, and remembered what he was wearing underneath his uniform. Helena remarked, still laughing, "Don't you look sexy? Ow. Laughing hurts."

M looked down at Afrida's pair of pink panties, which were torn in several places and left nothing to the imagination. He said, "Yes, I do. Don't I? But I think Afrida's going to kill me for tearing her underwear."

Helena said, "Yes, you don't seem to have much support there. You're basically going commando with some pink lace decorating your manly parts."

M removed the tattered pink fabric from around his waist and crawled into bed. He quipped, "Those panties didn't start out that way. But by the middle of the day they were starting to cut off my circulation and I had to make some … adjustments. I told Afrida she wasn't my size, but she wouldn't listen."

Helena sighed and mused, "Yes, our wife is strong willed and has a mind of her own. I found that out today, in a uniquely painful way that I won't soon forget."

M chuckled as he gently pulled Helena into his arms, "You won't look at Skittles the same ever again, I suppose."

Helena agreed, "I don't even want to _see_ a pack of Skittles ever again. When I left Afrida's office today, I had decided that I wanted to make love with you tonight. But that was before the Skittles assault. I'm sorry, MacArthur, but I don't really want to be penetrated by anything else at the moment."

M wrapped Helena in his arms just a little tighter and said, "It's okay. I'm happy just holding you." Then after several minutes of silence, "I'm sorry about what I did last night, about attacking you. And that I thought about hurting you. I'm sorry. And not just that I thought about hurting you, but the _way_ I thought to hurt you. I would never want to … be like _them_ … or remind you of-"

M sounded solemn and ashamed. He looked as if he might cry. Helena nestled into him and caressed his chest and face. She interjected, "Stop. Please, stop. I know you're sorry, MacArthur. I accept your apology. And you could never remind me of _them_, or be like _them_. Ever. Do you even understand how far from possible that is? They … did horrible things to you, too. A lot of it because you tried to protect me. You … saved my life. I have everything I have today because you risked so much and gave up so much, just for me. I will always love you for that. I will always be yours for that.

I want to talk about something else. Afrida said I should ask you why you were wearing her underwear. She said it was a delightful story, but I suspect she was being facetious."

M replied, "She _was_ being facetious. This morning in the shower with her I was … crying. And I complained that I hadn't been acting very manly lately. I suspected that Dodson and Hammer would knit me a pair of pink panties if they saw how I was acting, and Afrida offered me a pair of hers."

Helena frowned at the thought of M crying. She said, "MacArthur, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I did anything to cause you to … cry."

M saw that Helena was looking a little teary herself. He shook her gently and kissed her forehead. He intoned, "No. Stop. We will talk about everything. Soon. But right now I don't really want to talk about the Man From Dallas. Okay. I'm just, not ready to do that. I thought about everything, and I figured out that whatever happened between you and him, you weren't in love with him. You weren't sexually attracted to him in the way that you feel about me and Afrida. For now, that's all I need to know."

"Okay," Helena said. She smiled just a little, happy that MacArthur had figured out so much already. She searched her husband's heart and his thoughts. He was starting to trust her again, more than he had in a long time. She was grateful for that. And she let go of whatever she had wanted to say and what she was feeling about the Man From Dallas, at least for now.

M asked, "So what did you and Quinn do that pissed off Afrida so much?"

Helena answered, "Well, the question for me is what _didn't_ I do. Almost everything I said this afternoon pissed her off, but mostly she's upset about me keeping her in DC and not having sex with her. As for Quinn, do you know Terripin Curry?"

M thought for a moment, then asked, "The brilliant little Weretortoise who wears the same five pairs of corduroy pants every week?"

Helena laughed a little as she said, "Yes, that's him. Well, Afrida is, rightfully, upset with Quinn because he stole Terri's pet tortoise today. Quinn tortured the tortoise and ate it in the desert."

M frowned, confused and concerned. He asked, "Why would Quinn do something like that? Did he have some kind of argument with Terri?"

Helena explained, "Yes, apparently they had an argument today over the last pack of Skittles in the vending machine."

M raised his eyebrows, now understanding Afrida's particular choice of punishment. He observed, "I see. So Afrida decided that if Quinn was going to get so angry over a pack of Skittles then she would give him all the Skittles he could eat."

"Yes," Helena said. "And apparently Afrida wanted me to share in the experience because today I foolishly said I didn't think she was ever stern enough with Quinn when he did something wrong."

"Hmm," M considered. "So I'm guessing that you now agree our wife can be a hard ass with Quinn if she needs to be."

Helena weakly mumbled, "Oh, yes. I agreed vociferously that Afrida can be a stern disciplinarian as Skittles were boring into my various body parts. Just so you know, MacArthur, candy wasn't meant to be consumed via the ears and the eyes."

M mused, "Ouch. I wouldn't think so. It's probably not wise to piss off our wife, at least as long as we're not giving her sex."

Helena said, "Well, you're going to solve part of that problem starting tomorrow."

"What are you talking about?" M asked.

"Afrida made it clear to me today that I wasn't going to control her sex life anymore," Helena explained. "She expects you to be with her in Washington, DC for the remainder of her time there, and until I explain to her what it is I'm doing. And she also made it painfully clear that she doesn't want to just cuddle with you while you two are together."

"But wait," M objected. "If we're having sex now why can't Afrida just come home? Why can't we all be together here, in the same bed?"

Helena sighed and said, "Because if she's here, then it's going to be too hard for me … not to slip into our routines. I'm going to want to participate, to be with the two of you. And I can't do that. I just can't. I still believe that Afrida needs to focus on remembering who she really is, and that she needs a moratorium from sex in order to do that."

M mused aloud, "And I'm serving as the stud bull until you figure things out?"

Helena smiled a little at M and said, "Yes, you are. I know you like stability. And you don't like being dragged back and forth between two places, but I need you to … support me on this. I know this may sound crazy to you, MacArthur, but I think Afrida caused that earthquake that happened today."

M thought to himself and said, "Hmmm."

Helena looked amazed that M wasn't calling her crazy. She grimaced and raised up a little to regard him, then asked, "You're not surprised by what I just said about the earthquake?"

M replied after a few moments more of thought, "No, actually. I'm not."

"Why?" Helena asked."

M explained, "Because this morning when I woke up, everything in Afrida's apartment was levitating, including her. Her eyes glowed like … the sun; and she was projecting images, memories, through the bedroom window. They looked like … people, including her, running up a tall, dark mountain. And other things I couldn't make out. But I really lost it when every piece of matter in the room, including myself, started to separate into subatomic parts. I felt like I was going to just … separate into smaller and smaller parts … until I wasn't myself anymore, until I ceased to exist."

Helena looked horrified by what M was describing. He went on, "The scary part was, I don't even think Afrida was aware of what she was doing. I don't know whether she is a goddess, but she's definitely something much more powerful than a nymph. Why are you so convinced of what she is?"

Helena said, "I'll tell you the full story later, but for now … I came to believe who Afrida is when we were testing the Tesla tower in Cyprus. When I left you and Quinn on those rocks overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, I followed a scent that smelled exactly like Afrida. The scent led me to a cave and there was a woman there. She was a professor doing research on ancient Greece. She told me the cave site was a place of worship for the goddess Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. There were things in that cave that … reminded me of Afrida, besides the perfumes. There was an ancient drawing on the wall that looks exactly like the tattoo she has on her inner thigh.

And that professor told me about a myth that matches Afrida's experience, at least what we know of it. The goddess fell from the sky after being cast out of the heavens by her enemies. And while she is cast out of the heavens, she has to evolve, to do selfless deeds and grow as a person. If she does that then she will gain back her memory and more than 1,000 times her power. But if the goddess remembers who she is _before_ she evolves, then she will suffer an eternal punishment. She will forever be a lesser god, and her enemies will lord over her forever.

That's why she needs to take a break from, I don't know. If not from us, she has to at least take a break from sex and romance and our marital routines. Because all that will just consume her time and make her complacent. And it seems to me that there is a clock ticking here. One way or the other, she will eventually remember who she is. She needs to do it proactively, so that she wins this ... contest, between her and her enemies."

M frowned and shook his head. He slowly objected, "That sounds, unbelievable."

Helena agreed, "I know it does, Macarthur. But if you were there with me, it wouldn't sound so crazy. And now I can see the images in Afrida's head, memories that she doesn't even understand. They agree with that story of what happened to her. The story I learned in that cave. I saw in her mind the same images of a mountain that you saw in her window. I think it's where she lived in the heavens. I think the dark mountain is Mount Olympus, and some very terrible things happened to her there. People she loved, her father … hurt her there, very badly."

M frowned, understanding what Helena meant.

Helena continued, "I also think Afrida got so sick and had to leave Cyprus because that is where she was born, and where she was worshipped by so many devoted followers. Being in Cyprus … raised too many memories for her to keep at bay. I think she left abruptly so that she wouldn't prematurely remember who she is."

M lay completely still, processing all of this. He had to admit that Helena didn't sound crazy. He also kept replaying what happened to him when he woke up this morning in Afrida's apartment. Finally, he said, "Look. I'm not saying I'm convinced yet. But I'm trying to keep an open mind, and I'll … do what I'm told in the meantime."

Helena caressed M's face and said, "Thank you, MacArthur. I … don't want to believe this. I want nothing more than to have Afrida here with us. I want so badly to be with her, to make love with her. I came close to doing so today. I almost walked away from everything I put into motion. But then I saw those images in Afrida's head, images of her father, hurting her.

If I'm wrong and we do this, whatever _this_ is … then at worst I've placed the three of us on a … sabbatical from sex. That's frustrating and maybe angering, but not harmful in the grand scheme of things. Our love is strong enough to get through that. But if I'm right and we don't do this, the harm to Afrida is life altering and irreversible. I just … I can't take that risk, not if I love her. And I do, very much. And you do, too?"

The last sentence was a statement and a question combined. M slowly agreed, "Yes, I do. But there's one big problem. You can't make Afrida do anything, and she feels very strongly about having sex regularly. You and I are varying parts vampire, fairy and werewolf, and Afrida's sex drive still is stronger than yours and mine combined. She masturbates several times a day just to make up for what we can't provide. So it seems clear that she has to decide that she wants to take a break from sex and focus on evolving and remembering who she is, or it's not going to work."

Helena sighed and agreed, "Yes, I learned that the hard way today. I didn't understand that at first, but now I do. I have to figure out how to get her to see that working on her own evolution is vital; and I have to do it without telling her who she is. In the meantime, she might as well have sex, because nothing is going to advance until _she_ makes the decision to do this. It has to be _her_ decision. Denying her sex before she makes that decision isn't helping her. It's just pissing her off."

M warned, "I can support you, Helena, under one condition. I don't want my family to break up. I don't want to lose Afrida, or drive her away."

Helena agreed, "Neither do I, MacArthur. Neither do I. If Afrida left us, that would do more harm than good, because anyone she found to … fill the void, would probably discourage her from doing what she needs to do. I honestly believe that Afrida's best hope is staying with us while she works through this. I just need to figure out how exactly we do that. And how we convince her to go along with it."

M puzzled then said, "Well, try calling that professor in Greece, the one you spoke with in the cave. Since she's the one who set you on this path, then maybe she can advise you regarding how exactly you get the Goddess of Love to give up sex."

Helena's face lit up a little. She said, "MacArthur, that's a wonderful idea. It's the first hopeful idea I've known since we left Cyprus. I'll try to reach Professor Stavros and talk to her, see if she can tell me something that helps."

M teased, "That's why I'm your better third."

Helena kissed M and mused, "Yes, I agree, although Afrida might beg to differ regarding who's the better third in this marriage. I'll try to get some help in figuring out what to do. In the meantime, your job is to … keep Afrida happy and satisfied. You won't have me to help, so you'd better take your vitamins."

M's eyes widened, as he prayed that his goddess wife didn't exact punishment for inadequate sexual performance.

**_# # # # #_**

**_Washington, DC: Wednesday, September 8, 2010_**

**_Afrida Facilitates a Weretortoise Rendezvous_**

Afrida stood on the lush green grass of the open courtyard beneath her apartment at the Watergate in Washington, DC. The Potomac River flowed lazily behind her. She still wore her white chiton dress. While it was true that the goddess didn't mind a passionate argument like the one she had with her wife earlier in the day, it was also true that she had been feeling out of sorts lately.

The goddess had spent so much of her time worrying about her wife's intentions of late that she was an emotional mess. She hadn't focused on her team, her family or herself in the way that she should. She was tired of the stress, and longing for a distraction, a … victory of some kind. After spending most of her afternoon feeling varying degrees of anguish, fear, desolation and anger, the goddess wanted to feel joy and love.

Afrida needed to think about something positive, to _do_ something positive. She wanted to think about something besides an impending vampire war or Helena's strange behavior. She wanted to feel … giddy, silly, a touch of magic. And she wanted to think of her apartment in DC as an oasis and not some kind of detention center. She therefore decided that tonight, her victorious distraction of positivity and love would come in the form of finally facilitating a romantic and sexual connection between Terrapin Harris and Terripin Curry. Enough with the subtlety. The goddess was inserting herself to the greatest extent possible to make this romance a success.

As Terra and Terri entered her apartment, Afrida opened her arms and floated straight up, until she hovered just outside her living room window. She watched as Terra, followed by Terri, walked into her living room.

Terri asked, and Afrida could tell it wasn't the first time, "Why are we here again?"

Terra answered firmly, "For the umpteenth time Terri, we are here because General Afrida said we need to be here. She wants us to finish that paperwork."

Terri complained, "But we're basically done with that. I don't ... Whoa!"

Both of them looked around, taking in their surroundings. Terri went straight to the TV. His eyes widened until his big brown orbs looked ready to burst as he took in three gaming systems and an impossibly large library of video games. He started hyperventilating when he saw the Xbox Kinect and video games that weren't even supposed to be released yet.

Before Terri could turn on the television and start playing games, Terra pulled him to the kitchen to get dinner. Afrida heard Terra reminding Terri that it was almost 7:00 pm and he needed to eat. He complied, reluctantly; but he did as he was asked. Afrida noted that Terra seemed easily able to handle Terri, and he was much more compliant in private than he was in public. The goddess watched as the two Weretortoises set the table. She smiled as Terri salivated over the unexpected bounty of salad surprise and fruit medley, as well as a virtually unlimited supply of orange soda and triple jolt cola.

Terra briefly glanced toward the window. Her expression indicated that she knew Afrida was hovering just outside, but she didn't let her gaze linger for too long. She didn't want to alert Terri to the fact that they had company.

Afrida checked her watch. This enterprise was off to a solid start. With any luck, the two Weretortoises could eat, make love and be out of her apartment in two to three hours. She could then relax, watch TV, and celebrate a job well done. But as Terri started to eat his dinner, the goddess frowned. She started to get the inkling that this was going to be a long evening. She watched as Terri and Terra sat silently at the dining table.

Afrida's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Terri slowly fork up a few leaves of his salad, then take what seemed like forever to slowly guide the loaded fork into his mouth. He rested the fork on the table before he started chewing. Chewing was a separate event, which also seemed to last forever. By Afrida's estimation, Terri chewed each mouthful of salad for at least ninety-five seconds before forking up his next bite. He also took a loooooooong sip of orange soda after he finished chewing every other mouthful of food.

Afrida sighed and leaned back against the outer wall of her apartment building. She mentally adjusted to the fact that her plans for the evening were changing right before her eyes. She had hoped Terra and Terri would be hooked up and out of her apartment in time for her to start a relaxing masturbatory session, aided by _America's Next Top Model_, _CSI: NY,_ and late night talk, if necessary.

Afrida was hoping that these shows would prove to be better inspiration than _Glee_ and _American Idol_ had been earlier in the week. Besides, before she had been forlorn and dejected, with no hint of sex on the horizon. Tonight, she was just garden variety pissed off at Helena, and even that not so much since she got a lot of her anger off her chest earlier in the day. Not to mention that tomorrow night M was coming to DC to be with her, and she planned to fuck him relentlessly for hours. Tonight's self pleasuring session with _America's Next Top Model_ and _CSI: NY_ was merely intended to take some of the edge off things so that she didn't hurt MacArthur tomorrow night.

As Afrida stared at Terri's plate, which still seemed quite full of salad, an extended self pleasuring session with models and murder mysteries playing in the background was looking increasingly remote. The goddess thought to herself, _"Oh well, MacArthur's a vampire wolf soldier. Not. But my big Cuddly Bear can take a little pain."_

_**# # # # #**_

_**Afrida's Neighbors Hail From Morning Glory Circle, Westport, Connecticut**_

Meanwhile, in one of the neighboring apartments, Gladys Kravitz peered out of her window and yelled to her husband, "Abnerrrrrrr! Abner?! She's out there again, and this time she's flying! Did you hear me? She's flying!"

Gladys Kravitz was Afrida's nosy neighbor. She was mid-60's, short and a little plump, with rosy cheeks. Her mostly silver hair, which was always pinned in a neat up do, still held flecks of the bright red that had adorned her head when she was much younger. Her blue green eyes flashed suspiciously, always.

Gladys's ever patient, somewhat sarcastic husband Abner sat in his usual spot in the "captain's recliner" in their living room. He was, as always, paying attention to and simultaneously ignoring his wife as he watched _Wheel of Fortune_. Abner was average height, with a slightly receding hairline and generally fit, with a bit of a belly common for men pushing toward seventy. He liked the occasional smoking of a pipe, and had a penchant for colorful sweaters when the weather turned the slightest bit cold. His salt and pepper hair made him look dignified, and his beautiful hazel eyes made him look kind, despite his sarcasm.

Gladys intoned again, "Abner, did you hear me? I said that Afrida woman is _flying_."

Abner kept his eyes on the TV as he said, "Gladys, a dead man couldn't help but hear you. And yes, she's flying. So what. I know Afrida can fly. Big deal."

Gladys looked shocked as she asked, "Abner, what do you mean you know she can fly?"

Abner replied, "I mean she was kind enough to float me up to our balcony and into our apartment when my back gave out last year."

Gladys was indignant as she asked, "What?! Where was I?"

Abner said, "I don't know. Probably gossiping and playing bridge with those old women you hang out with over in Cleveland Park."

Gladys was petulant. "I see how it is Abner. I'm gone for a minute, and that's all the time it takes for you to let some beautiful, _dangerous_ woman sweep you off your feet."

Abner was nonplussed as he replied, "Gladys, the only beautiful, dangerous woman I've ever let sweep me off my feet is you, more than forty years ago. All Afrida did was help an old man and his broken back into his home."

Gladys urged, "Well, I can't believe how calm you're being about all this, Abner. I mean, what if she does something to us? What if she takes over our bodies?"

Abner said, "Gladys, I don't think either of us have to worry about anyone wanting our bodies. Personally, if Afrida wants to do an even exchange, I'll happily take her body. But I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to do that."

Gladys wasn't nearly done as she said, "But Abner, what if-"

Abner cut her off, "Enough Gladys. Go take your medicine, and make it a double dose. Afrida is a nice lady, and you'd know that if you ever actually talked to her instead of gawking at her all the time."

"You're not even curious about what she is? Or afraid that she's dangerous. She's obviously not human," Gladys complained.

"No Gladys, I'm not curious or afraid of anything about Afrida," Abner shot back. "Maybe instead of spying on our neighbors all the time you should turn around and look at the TV, educate yourself. There's this channel, CSPAN … maybe you know it. For the past several months, Senator Helen Lycan has been giving speeches about her Supernatural Rights Bill. She's been explaining how the bill is important because supernaturals, like Afrida, are the targets of extreme bigotry and hatred. I'm beginning to see the senator's point about why this legislation is needed."

Gladys turned to Abner, a bit shocked, as she asked, "Are you trying to say I'm a bigot, Abner? Me? I am not a bigot! I don't hate anyone. I don't. But even if Afrida is a supernatural, you have to admit that some of the things that she does are just … odd."

Abner didn't ease up as he replied, "Gladys, I spent thirty-four years as an insurance salesman. The one thing the insurance business taught me is that very few behaviors that people engage in are strange if one has enough information to understand them. Just because _you_ don't understand the things that Afrida does, doesn't mean there's not a logical explanation for every single one of them."

"She walks around nude in her apartment with the shades up!" Gladys exclaimed.

Abner retorted, " It's her apartment. She can do whatever she wants in it. And I'll bet you none of our other neighbors, male or female, are complaining about the views coming from her place. Most of them are probably quite appreciative. If I had a body like hers, I'd wear as little clothing as possible all the time."

Gladys moved on, "She wears strange clothes, like stuff you'd where to a toga party."

Abner replied reasonably, "Your old ditzy friend Delores wears flower print everything and oversized pink flamingo glasses. I wear loud sweaters. The colors make me happy. It's a free country. People can wear what they want."

Gladys intoned, "Just a short while ago I saw her bed make itself. There was no one in the apartment, and the bed just made itself!

Abner calmly said, "Go take your medicine, Gladys; and make it a triple dose."

Gladys had more to offer, "Whatever, Abner. I've seen her … glow. That's it. She glows, like the sun. It's like the sun is shining in her apartment! And don't tell me it's the TV, because it isn't!"

Abner wasn't bothered in the least, "Gladys, we live in a dark, cold world, and you're complaining that someone is full of sunshine? Seriously? I'm calling the police, and not for Afrida."

"Okay Abner," Gladys relented. "Well, why is she floating outside her own window right now instead of just being in her apartment? Why is she looking into her own window? You have to admit that's not normal behavior. So since you know everything, why is she doing it?"

Abner had had enough. It was clear Gladys wasn't going to let him enjoy _Wheel of Fortune_ in peace. He stood up and walked purposively toward the window and started to open it. Gladys pulled him back and asked, "Abner, what are you doing?"

Abner reasoned, "You're right, Gladys. I don't know why Afrida is hovering outside her own apartment window right now. And I see you're not going to rest until we find out. So instead of spending all night speculating about it and making up stories, I'm going to ask her. And I'm sure the explanation she gives will be a reasonable one."

Gladys pulled him and pleaded, "Stop it, Abner. You're going to embarrass us. I'll stop. Just leave it alone."

"No Gladys, I'm not leaving it alone," Abner stated firmly. "This isn't just about today. It's about something bigger. I want you to take a little time and get to know Afrida. You know why? Because I don't like this talk that keeps coming from you about how Afrida's dangerous just because she's different. Once upon a time, and still today in plenty of places, the neighbors would be doing exactly what you're doing right now to us. They'd be speculating that you and I are dangerous and evil and suspicious, for no other reason than the fact that our last name is _Kravitz._"

Gladys looked a little ashamed and let go of Abner. He opened the window and looked around, until he saw Afrida hovering five stories in the air, her back still against the wall of the building. He called to her, "Excuse me, Afrida? I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind floating here for a minute?"

Afrida turned to see Abner and Gladys Kravitz standing at their open window. She took a quick glance into her apartment. Terri's eating pace hadn't increased at all, and his plate was still full of salad. Evidently, the goddess had plenty of time for a chat with neighbors. She floated over to the Kravitz's window, feeling a little amused as she saw Gladys hiding slightly behind Abner.

"Hello Abner," Afrida said, pleasantly. "Gladys."

Abner warmly said, "Hi Afrida. I'm sorry to bother you. I know you're probably in the middle of something, so I'll get right to the point. Gladys saw you hovering outside your apartment window, and she was concerned that something is wrong because the behavior seemed a little odd to her."

Afrida warmly interjected, "Well, I appreciate the concern, and I suppose it does look a little odd, but I assure you I'm fine."

"Well, what are you doing?" Gladys piped up, a little more comfortable now. She _did_ want to know what Afrida was doing, and now was her chance."

Afrida casually replied, "Oh, well, there are these two young people at my job. They're in love, but they're a little shy and have been taking things a bit slow in getting together. One of the obstacles is that they both live with family and so they don't really have a place to be, alone together, if you know what I mean."

"Oh," Gladys said. Then she thought some more and realized exactly what Afrida was saying. "Ohhhhhhh, you mean _together_ together?"

"Yes, _together_ together," Afrida confirmed. "So anyway, I offered to let them have their _alone together_ time, which also is their first time, for both of them, at my apartment. The girl is very nervous, so I told her I'd, uhm, give her a bit of encouragement until nature takes its course, and then I can leave them totally alone. So I'm hovering near the window in case she needs me for a bit of moral support and coaching."

"Their first time. How romantic," Abner mused. "And nice of you to be a coach, so to speak. Gladys and me had our first time together, and I could have definitely used a coach."

"Abner!" Gladys exclaimed, as her cheeks turned red.

"It's okay, Gladys," Afrida reassured. "Please don't be embarrassed. I _love _love. Falling in love, making love, experiencing a life of love together, all of it. I think it's wonderful and beautiful and natural. I quite frankly don't understand why we can talk so freely about violence and hatred, but people get embarrassed about love."

Abner agreed, "My sentiments exactly, Afrida."

Afrida finished, "So anyway, I expected this new love to move more quickly than it seems to be moving. They're still having dinner, which means I may be temporarily displaced for much longer than I planned."

Abner turned to Gladys and asked, "Well, Gladys, does that sound like a perfectly reasonable explanation of what Afrida is doing?"

A little ashamed, Gladys agreed, "Yes, it does. I'm … I'm sorry, Afrida. I thought all these terrible things about you, just because you're a little different. And because you can fly and everything. And in fact you seem like a really nice person."

His work done, Abner returned to his recliner and resumed watching _Wheel of Fortune_. He could still hear the conversation going on at the window, and chime in if he wanted.

Afrida smiled and said, "No harm done, Gladys. Most of us are a little like that, afraid of the unfamiliar. Do you know what helps us be less afraid? Getting to know people. That way, if someone does something that seemingly defies explanation, you can focus less on _what_ the person is doing and take comfort in _why_ they're doing it. As long as it's coming from … a place of love, then it matters less if it's a little strange or hard to understand. You just accept it because the behavior is rooted in good intentions."

The goddess paused as she said this last sentence, because she suddenly thought of Helena and their argument from earlier in the day. Her wife had been acting, at least to Afrida, very crazy lately. But Afrida knew without a shadow of a doubt that Helena's motivations were rooted in her love for Afrida. _Hmm. __Maybe I need to take my own advice._

Gladys interrupted Afrida's thoughts with, "You know, Afrida. I used to know that, what you said about focusing on the love when someone's actions don't make sense to you. In fact, since we're sharing, my biggest lesson in that way of thinking came from Abner. You see, before we got married, my mother took me to one of those doctors for female issues. She said a young woman should do that so that she could be prepared for … marriage and things."

Gladys blushed a little, but she pushed through her shyness. She tried to follow Afrida's advice and be more comfortable talking about love and sex. Afrida smiled, which encouraged Gladys to continue, "So I went, and the doctor told me that it would be very hard for me to have children. The way he said it, I just knew he really meant I never would. I cried and cried."

Afrida frowned in sympathy. Gladys remembered, "I told Abner we should call off the marriage and … he should find someone else. Someone who could give him a family, a complete life. Abner insisted that he loved me and only me. For the longest time I couldn't accept it. I mean, it's one thing to find out you can't have children after taking vows, but _before_? I just couldn't accept that Abner loved me that much to marry me anyway, when he knew I was unable to conceive. Then finally, one day I just … accepted his love. I had no other explanation for his irrational behavior of wanting to be with a young woman when he knew she couldn't have children."

Abner called over from his chair, "Look at the pictures on the walls, Afrida. The older ones. That's my Gladys back then. She's even more gorgeous now, but look at her even then. Would you walk away from that?"

Afrida looked at the older pictures on the walls. She took in the youthful faces of Abner and Gladys, posed in various scenes. Gladys was indeed striking, with beautiful, lush red hair and green eyes. In fact, Afrida now remembered that she knew Gladys and had seen her before. She asked, "Yes, Gladys is very beautiful. Say, did the two of you take a vacation in Hawaii in 1987?"

Gladys's eyes widened, "Yes, we did? How do you know that?"

Afrida explained, "Because your red hair and eyes are a striking combination, and seeing your younger self … I remember you. You and Abner spent a lot of time at the Tiki Bar, in Honolulu? I spent most of my time on the beach, but I think I saw you from afar. I remember your hair, and you wore those lovely flowing beach sarongs."

Gladys exclaimed, "Yes. Yes! I did. Oh god, did I think I was hot stuff. And we loved hanging out at the Tiki Bar. We met lots of people, really nice people. That Hawaiian vacation is very special to us. It changed our life in the biggest way possible. What a small world. I can't believe this."

Afrida asked, "What made that vacation so special?"

Abner again called out, "Look at the other pictures on the wall. I call it the shrine."

Afrida looked again, and for the first time noticed that Gladys and Abner seemed to have an unusual fixation with, of all people, her supermodel neighbor in New York. The goddess asked, a bit confused, "You two are big fans of Christy, the supermodel?"

But then Afrida noticed that the pictures were … _personal,_ not like commercial pictures from a magazine. Gladys cleared up the confusion by explaining, "I guess we are, but that's our daughter, our only child."

Abner added, "That Hawaiian vacation is special to us because that's where Christina was conceived."

A light bulb went off for Afrida as she exclaimed, "Wait, of course. Christy _Kravitz_. Christy's full name is Christy Kravitz. She's so famous now that everyone knows her as just Christy, but-"

Abner looked over at Afrida, beaming as he said, "That's our baby. Do you know she couldn't find a job for the longest time. The few people who wanted to hire her all wanted to change her name. They thought the name Kravitz was too ethnic."

"Too Jewish," Gladys interjected. "But Christy was adamant about not changing her name. Abner and I told her to just do it, you know … so she could maybe get her big break. But she said to us, 'You two did a lot of praying and a lot of work to make me a Kravitz. A lot went into giving me that name, and I'm owning it.' She's a pistol."

Abner interjected, "Like her mother."

Gladys continued, "Well, Christy finally got her big break when she met the designer Alexander Queen. He was struggling, and she was struggling. They moved in together, and then all of a sudden he took off with his shoes and bags and clothes. He was ahead of his time because he designs everything, not just clothes. And now Christy is his main model. She's _the_ face of Alexander Queen. It still takes us a moment when we see her picture all over the place, especially on all those billboards in Times Square."

Afrida said, "Well, the world is even smaller than you know. Most of the time I live in New York with my husband, my wife and our son. And-"

Gladys interjected, "I'm sorry, Afrida. Did you just say that you have _two_ spouses? I'm not being judgmental, but how is that legal?"

Afrida explained, "Both my spouses and I, we're … supernaturals. The law doesn't govern us for the most part. It also doesn't protect us. We're kind of in a state of limbo in a lot of ways."

Gladys looked a little sad as she murmured, "Ohhh, I see."

Afrida smiled and went back to the previous subject, "Christy lives next door to us at the Colorado, our New York apartment building. I'm surprised I haven't run into you both there. A few years ago, when she got her first big paycheck, she said she wanted to buy her parents a place to retire. She didn't want them turning into those old people who ride golf carts around Florida. She wanted them to live in an exciting city, close enough to her, but not New York. She thought New York would be too much for them. I mean, for you. We told her about Washington, DC, and this building specifically. I see she took our advice, and here you are."

Abner called over, "So what you're saying Afrida, is that we need to thank you for our wonderful apartment."

Afrida chuckled and replied, "Perhaps, Abner. But the pleasure is all mine."

Gladys said, before she could catch herself, "Christy moved us here from Westport, Connecticut. I had strange neighbors there, too. I used to live across from a witch. She twinkled her nose and all sorts of strange things happened. Oh, not that I think _you're _strange, Afrida. Well, at least not anymore."

Afrida just smiled, genuinely amused.

Gladys shook her head and changed the subject, "And we were both in Hawaii at the same time. That's kind of unbelievable. Say, you've seen my family. Do you have pictures of your family? Your … uhm, wife, and husband and son?"

Afrida reached into a hidden pocket in her chiton dress and pulled out her cell phone. She said, "I do. I have plenty of pictures of my family in my phone. This is my husband, MacArthur. His nickname is M. And this is my wife Helena and our son Quinn."

Afrida watched the expression on Gladys's face change from pleasant to recognition to astonishment. Afrida waited for some kind of explanation, and then Gladys said, "Oh my god. I don't believe this. I … I know them. I talked to your wife and your son in Hawaii at the Tiki Bar."

Afrida smiled and said, "Really?"

"Yes, the … the trip to Hawaii was, how do I explain? I was forty-two, and even though me and Abner had a very happy marriage, I still longed so much for a child. Looking back, I think I was seriously depressed. But people didn't talk about depression back then like they do now. Abner, bless his soul, didn't know what to do with me. He took me on that vacation to try and make me happy. I tried to be joyful, but I wasn't. It showed on my face when I was sitting at the Tiki Bar.

Your wife and your son showed up. I remember seeing how much she doted on him and how much they loved each other. It's not right, but I felt so sad and … jealous. I wanted what she had with a child of my own, and at the same time I felt so ashamed of being jealous. And then to my horror, I started crying right there at the bar. Your wife saw me and came over. She put her arm around me like she had known me all her life. She asked me why I was so upset and I told her.

And then the bartender, this Hawaiian woman, gave me that little tiki doll. You see the one sitting over there on the mantle? She told me that the doll represented a Hawaiian goddess named Haumea. Haumea is the Hawaiian goddess of fertility and love and sex and childbirth. She told me to pray to her. I told the bartender I'm Jewish. But she said that didn't matter. The goddess of love didn't care about my religion. She just cared about _me._

Then I said I thought the goddess of love was some other goddess. I didn't remember her name, but I was sure it wasn't Haumea. The bartender explained that there are lots of goddesses of love and sex and fertility, but they all represent the same aspects of the divine. The goddess of love is the same goddess, even though she goes by many different names. So praying to one is like praying to all of them. And if I addressed my prayer just to the goddess of love, then maybe one of them, or more than one would hear me."

Abner laughed a little and interjected, "Maybe it works like operators. Whichever one is closest to the phone picks up and answers the prayer."

Afrida smiled, but on the inside she felt … something. Something that felt familiar, and it was evoked by this conversation with Gladys. But she couldn't remember, so she let it go.

Gladys continued, "Well, your lovely wife asked me what my prayer was, what I wanted. I told her I wasn't greedy or anything. I would be overjoyed to have just one healthy, happy child. And if it wasn't too much, I wanted it to have the best of me and the best of Abner. I especially wanted it to have my red hair, and Abner's height and hazel eyes. I thought that would be just … perfect.

Well, your wife … Helena … she hugged me and cried a little with me. And she promised me that she was going to pray that prayer for me, and maybe make her family pray it for me, too. She seemed so sincere and caring."

Afrida mused in a half-whisper, "She is. I remember that prayer." The goddess felt a warmth flood through her as she thought about the wonderful, caring nature of her wife.

Gladys asked, "What did you say?"

Afrida reiterated, "Oh, I said I remember that prayer. Helena did come to me and M, our husband, and told us about you. Our whole family prayed for you to have that one healthy, happy child; and for it to be tall, with red hair and hazel eyes.

Gladys, I have to tell you that I'm not … religious. I personally don't believe in gods and goddesses. I respect those who do, but I just … I don't. So I can't say I prayed exactly, but I did wish. I remember wishing that prayer for you, with every fiber of my being. I remember visualizing this child who would grow up beautiful and tall, with striking red hair and beautiful hazel eyes. Oh, and for some reason, I made it a girl when I wished. I guess I was thinking that maybe the mother - now I know it's you - and her child could be … close, in a special way, if it was a girl. And so in my mind and my heart I wished a beautiful daughter into existence and gave her to you."

Gladys marveled as she said, "Well, I did what the bartender told me to do. I kept that tiki doll with me all the time. I prayed twice a day. And Abner and I were, you know … together, every day for the rest of that trip."

Abner quipped, "Most days we were together two or three times a day. Hahaha."

Gladys blushed big time and shushed, "Oh stop it, Abner. So anyway, your wish worked because a few weeks later I was pregnant with Christy. And just like I prayed, she's got my red hair, and she's tall like Abner and she has his hazel eyes."

Afrida mused, "Yes, I see. In fact, I remember seeing a special about her and Alexander Queen and their collaboration. The host explained that Christy stands out because no one else out there has her striking hair color and eyes. The combination makes her one of a kind, and so photogenic."

Abner added, "She _is_ beautiful. I mean, Gladys and I are cute to be sure, but I still marvel that the two of us made such a stunningly attractive child. And if it's possible, she's more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside."

Afrida agreed, "Yes, Christy is a wonderful person. You two raised her well."

Gladys beamed and said, "Thank you. We tried. And Afrida, it's been nice to … get to know you. I hope we can talk more and maybe be … friends."

Afrida smiled back and said, "I'd like that, Gladys. We're friends already, and I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Abner joked, "Be careful, Afrida. The only thing worse than _not being_ friends with Gladys is _being_ friends with Gladys. Before you know it, she'll have you trapped in some too hot apartment in Cleveland Park playing bridge and eating fruit salad with a bunch of old ladies dressed in floral print."

Afrida genuinely said, "Actually, that sounds nice. It really does. As long as your friends don't mind my version of girl talk, which tends to mostly be about sex."

Gladys mused excitedly, "Oh no, they'd love that. It would be more excitement than we ever have. And … I've never had a friend who can fly. My bridge club friends will think I'm the coolest thing ever. And wait until I tell them about the connection between you and our apartment, and you and Christy. Their jaws will drop in disbelief. Your family and mine … it's like … we didn't know it, but our lives crossed each other, and once they did, they never … uncrossed."

Abner observed, "So now it seems that in addition to thanking you for our wonderful apartment, Afrida, we also need to thank you for giving us our beautiful only child."

Afrida teased, "Well, Christy is priceless. You'll never be able to repay me. So I'll just say, 'you're welcome.' But now I need to get back to my place and check on my two love birds."

Gladys offered, "Okay. But … say … I'm going to leave this window open, just in case your … uhm, love birds … don't get finished in your apartment for a while. You're welcome to float back over here and watch TV, even if Abner and I are asleep. You can have anything in the fridge. Just make yourself at home. You could even sleep in Christy's room. In fact, from now on … float over and see us, whenever you want. Our window will always be open."

Afrida smiled wide and said, "Why Gladys, thank you so much. And, if my lovebirds are still moving slowly, I might take you up and on that offer tonight."

_**# # # # #**_

_**The Seduction of a Certain Little Weretortoise**_

Afrida floated back to her apartment and peeked in the window. To her pleasant surprise, dinner was finished and Terri and Terra had progressed to playing video games on the sofa. Afrida could see several cans of consumed orange soda and triple jolt cola, as well as empty candy bar and Skittles wrappers, splayed on the coffee table.

Terra and Terri had even managed to play enough games for some stripping to take place. Terri sat, concentrating on his moves, clad in a white undershirt and his blue corduroy pants. Terra had managed to do a good job at losing. She was dressed in her white dress shirt and Army green slacks. Neither Terri nor Terra were wearing socks, which meant all future losses were going to result in some key articles of clothing coming off. Afrida had returned just in time.

Terri jumped up, victorious, and said, "Aha, I won!"

Terra lamented, "Yeah, you sure did, Terri. Guess I have to do what I have to do."

Terra glanced at the window and saw Afrida giving her a signal to stand up as she removed her shirt. She started to just unbutton it unceremoniously, when Afrida signaled for her to slow down and be more seductive. At first, Terra frowned, then she managed to slow down and carefully unbutton her shirt. She did a nice job of pushing out her chest as she slid the shirt down one arm, then the next.

Terri had stopped watching the TV and started concentrating on Terra. He gulped as he took in the sight of her standing before him in her black lacey bra. Afrida gave Terra a "thumbs up" as the Weretortoise sat back down. Terra inched closer to Terri when she saw Afrida gesture for her to close the distance between her and Terri.

Terri jumped a little at the unexpected skin contact and said, "Uhhhh, do you want to keep playing?" Terra looked at him and nodded.

Afrida signaled Terra to speed things up a bit. Terra followed through, winning the next two games rather quickly. Terri took off his undershirt, revealing a pasty little chest and a slightly pudgy belly, but surprisingly muscular arms. Afrida smirked a little, amused by the bare top half of her little Terri. _Hmm. My Terri's got something to work with, but that boy really needs to get some sun. But Terra will help him with that._

Since Terra also won that second game, it was time for Terri to remove his pants, but the little Weretortoise suddenly wasn't so sure. He protested, "Uhmmm, maybe we should just play without having to take our clothes off."

Terra asked, "Are you declaring me the undisputed winner, Terri?"

Terra already knew the answer to her question. Terri was far too competitive to just give up, even though he didn't want to strip anymore. So he hedged, sounding a little upset because he was losing, "No, I'm not! I'm just saying that maybe all this stripping is a little unnecessary."

Terra looked confused for a moment, but Afrida was actively signaling her to take control. The goddess made gestures for Terra to undo Terri's pants. Terra was making faces protesting. This went on for a minute, until Terri looked behind him. Afrida quickly ducked out of sight. Terri asked, "What are you doing?"

Terra panicked for a moment, then recovered and said, "Nothing, Terri. I'm tired of you getting this way when you lose, and today I'm not having it."

Terri looked taken aback by Terra's commanding attitude. He sounded a little nervous when he asked, "Wh-what?"

Afrida floated back into view and sternly signaled Terra to remove Terri's pants. Terra steeled herself and pulled Terri into a standing position. The sexy Weretortoise said, a little harshly, "You heard what I said, Terri. Enough of your bullshit. The terms of this contest were clear. Now pay up."

Terri looked down, paralyzed, as Terra unbuckled his belt, then unfastened his blue corduroy pants. The commanding Weretortoise wasn't having any of Terri's shit right now; and she let him know it by roughly yanking his pants down until they bunched at his ankles. Terra pressed her foot on Terri's pants and glared at him until he stepped out of them. She kicked the pants across the room.

Afrida raised her eyebrows, very impressed at how Terra was rising to the occasion. _Very nice. I think that girl has a hidden dominatrix dwelling inside her._

Terra and Afrida both took in the fact that Terri was wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles boxer briefs. Afrida mused to herself, _"Really, Terri. I love your terrapin pride, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle boxer briefs? I see why you and Quinn don't get along. You're both too much alike."_

Terri looked embarrassed, but he calmed down when Terra seductively said, "I really like your briefs, Terri."

Terri said, nervously, "Thanks, I order them online from the same company that sells Comic-Con merchandise. If you buy five packs, you get a discount on-"

The sexy Weretortoise cut him off with, "Be quiet and play!"

Afrida raised her eyebrows, shocked and impressed. _Talk about getting into a role. And to think how much she was protesting earlier._

Terri looked equally shocked, as he obediently picked up his game controller and started playing a new round. To his surprise, Terra lost the next game in a record three minutes, then crooned, "Well, Terri. I guess that's what I get for being such a bitch. My turn to take something off."

Afrida was practically giddy as she watched her protégé stand and unbutton her pants. Afrida signaled Terra to maintain eye contact with Terri. Terra did, as she removed her slacks, taking her sweet time. Terri's jaw dropped along with Terra's zipper. He was totally engaged as she slid the pants down her legs and stepped out of them.

To Afrida's surprise, Terra put her hand on her hip, tilted her head and asked seductively, "So Terri, do you like what you see?"

Afrida was officially giddy now. She dropped down several feet midair and gyrated her body in a mini-celebration. _Yesssss! God, I love when a student improvises. Terra, I'm giving you an A+ in seduction right now._

All of this might have looked very strange to anyone watching, especially Gladys Kravitz, who was indeed watching Afrida from her window. But thanks to their little heart to heart talk, Gladys just smiled when Afrida signaled to her that things were going better than expected with the budding love connection in her apartment.

Afrida floated back up to her apartment window, where Terri was wheezing a little and had yet to answer Terra's question. Terra was at a loss about what to do next, but she saw Afrida signal her to take down her hair and remove her glasses. Terra slowly removed her glasses and asked again, "Well, Terri?"

Terri wheezed louder and said, "Uhhhhhh."

Terra then removed the scrunchy from her hair and shook loose her shiny, shoulder-length, silken tresses. She asked again, "Well, Terri? Answer me."

Terri was wheezing louder still, but he managed to strain out, "Y-y-y-y-yes. I … like. A lot. V-v-very much."

Afrida tried to contain her own excitement as she pressed her hands together, signaling Terra to push Terri down on the couch and get on top of him. The sexy Weretortoise, being the excellent student that she was, did just that. And without any prompting, Terra dipped her head like she was reading something, then abruptly looked up as if Afrida had suddenly called her, which flicked her hair. It was absolutely perfect execution. Terra gazed into Terri's eyes and asked, "Do you want me?"

Afrida's mouth dropped open. She was floored by the sheer boldness she was witnessing. The goddess couldn't believe her overachieving Weretortoise, Terra. Meanwhile, Terri was practically hyperventilating. Terra glanced up, and saw Afrida kissing her own hand and waving _go, go, go!_ with her other hand.

Before Terri could say anything, Terra kissed him. She kissed him gently at first, then more assertively. To Afrida's utter glee, Terra reached down and wrapped Terri's arms around her, then deepened the kiss. Afrida was so excited that she forgot where she was and screamed, "Yes!"

Terri broke the kiss and asked Terra, "Did you hear that? Is someone in here?"

Terra quickly replied, "No, Terri. We're alone. Now where were we?"

Terra tried to resume kissing Terri, but the little Weretortoise was too practical and skittish. He pushed himself up off the sofa and said, "Let me just check. I won't be able to relax if I think someone is in here."

Afrida dropped out of sight, then peered over the windowsill. She panicked when she saw Terri heading straight for her window. The goddess quickly jetted toward Gladys Kravitz's window and dived in head first. Gladys had just enough time to move out of the way, as Afrida crashed into the living room and onto Abner's lap.

Afrida found herself being held by Abner, to whom she said, "Abner, I'm so sorry. My little male lovebird, who doesn't know I'm coaching, came to the window and almost caught me. I had to make a quick escape."

Abner smiled and said, "The pleasure's all mine, Afrida. As you probably know, beautiful women fall into my lap all the time. What's one more added to the list?"

Afrida kissed Abner on the lips as she jumped off his lap. She grabbed Gladys into the air and swung her around twice, then kissed her on the lips, slipping her a little tongue as she exclaimed, "Things are going sooo well over there. Oh Gladys, I just _love_ love."

Gladys was a little startled by the goddess's kiss, but she didn't dislike it. She said a bit frantically, "Afrida, you're so … exciting. Nothing like this _ever_ happens to us."

Afrida said a little breathily, "You don't even know how exciting I am, Gladys. Wait until you get to know me better."

Gladys asked, "Maybe you can match make for two of my friends who are widows?"

Afrida said, "I'm sure I could. Let's talk about it later, after I finish my current project. Thanks for your open window, by the way. I may need it again tonight."

Afrida watched from Gladys and Abner's apartment as Terri opened the window and peered all around including above his head. _Good thing I flew over here, or he would have looked up and found me._

Terra pulled Terri back inside and shut the window. Afrida waited a few minutes longer, then cautiously floated out of the Kravitz's window and back over to her own apartment.

Abner mused, "I'll bet you've never been kissed like that by any of your other friends. Huh, Gladys?"

Gladys momentarily remembered the impromptu kissing session between her and Delores one Saturday last year, but they were just showing each other how their husbands' kissed. It was just girls messing around. It was nothing. Mostly. Gladys smiled mischievously to herself as she said, "No Abner, I can't say that I have."

Afrida floated back to her living room window, but she didn't see her two Weretortoises. She heard voices coming from the bedroom and carefully floated to that window. She saw Terri scratching his head as Terra said, "See, Terri. I told you there's no one here."

Terra was pulling Terri back to the living room, when she glanced toward the window and saw Afrida frantically signaling her to stay put. The goal, after all, was to get to the bedroom. Well, now they were there already. No plan goes exactly as strategized, and one must be prepared to make adjustments on the fly.

Terra suddenly stopped and pulled Terri to her. Terri nervously asked, "Wh-wh-what are you doing?"

"I want to stay in here with you," Terra replied, as she pulled Terri toward the bed.

Terri's breathing was once again labored and erratic, as he asked, "Wh-wh-why?"

To Afrida's absolute amazement, Terra calmly and seductively said, "Because I want you and tonight I'm going to have you, Terri. I want us to make love."

Well, the goddess couldn't take anymore. She felt like she was high on candy. _Skittles._ She chuckled to herself. Afrida literally fell out of the air and plopped onto the grass below. She made a quick grass angel as she lay on her back and waved her arms and legs.

Afrida writhed in celebration as she thought to herself, _"Yes. Fucking yes! This is what I'm all about. This is what life is about. I was made for this. This is what I need instead of arguments and maenad bullshit. Right now, this is better than my own sex. And I don't say that about too many fucking things. But don't get me wrong. I'm still fucking your brains out tomorrow night, MacArthur. My little Cuddly Bear. Hahaha."_

Afrida took several more minutes to recover from her giddiness. Then she floated back up to her bedroom window. She peeked inside and saw Terra and Terri in her bed underneath the sheet. To the goddess's delight, Terra's lacey black bra and panties were sprawled on the floor next to Terri's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles boxer briefs. Her two randy Weretortoises were rolling slowly in her bed, kissing passionately and caressing.

Terri looked awestruck and so did Terra, but she was clearly in control and comfortable. Terra stopped the two of them from rolling when Terri landed on top of her. They kissed and caressed each other for many countless minutes, until … _the moment._ They both abruptly stopped kissing and gazed into each other's eyes. They were both scared and quiet, except for their breathing, which was very loud. Afrida's heart raced.

Terri bit his bottom lip, as he slowly moved his hand beneath the sheet. Terra spread her legs wide beneath him and pushed her head back into the pillow. She breathed and made herself relax, just as the goddess had taught her. Afrida smirked a little when she saw Terra jump and exclaim, "Ow, whoa! No."

Terri then jumped a little as he asked, "I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?"

Terra rubbed his face and gently said, "No. No, you didn't. We're just a little off. The angle is wrong. Let me … let me do it. It's okay."

Afrida grinned as she thought, _"They always have to learn the hard way. Nothing like getting poked in the wrong orifice to make a woman take charge of lovemaking."_

Terri and Terra both looked amazed as Terra guided Terri inside her. They both looked like they were processing the experience, rather than simply enjoying it. Afrida thought, _"Scientists. They always have to be … scientists. So cute."_

Terra proved to be a quick learner. She held Terri's hips, controlling his pushes into her, giving him more access only when she was relaxed and ready. She breathed erratically and bit her bottom lip as she started to moan softly and writhe underneath Terri, indicating that she was pain free and enjoying the experience.

Afrida plopped back onto the ground below. She lay on her back, taking in the beautiful starry night. Terra clearly didn't need her anymore. After getting off to a slow start with dinner, the sexy Weretortoise got inspired and moved things along quickly. The goddess checked her watch. _America's Next Top Model_ was half over, but there was still _CSI: NY_ and late night talk waiting to be viewed as masturbatory inspiration.

Based on her extended personal experience, the goddess surmised that Terra and Terri would be finished with their devirginizing lovemaking session soon, within the next ten minutes. They were both virgins, after all … well, recent _former_ virgins. How long could they last? Even with some pillow talk and cuddling, her little lovebirds … uhm, love tortoises … should be on their way in less than an hour. Afrida would then get back her apartment, and more importantly her bed, for her own personal enjoyment.

Afrida waited until twenty minutes had passed, just for good measure. She then floated back up to her bedroom window and peeked inside, fully expecting to see Terri holding Terra in his arms in post-coital bliss. The goddess blinked repeatedly and frowned, trying to make sure she was seeing right. Terri was still on top of Terra. He was writhing slowly, very slowly, so slowly the goddess wasn't sure she could call it writhing exactly. The whole thing looked almost tantric and meditative.

The two Weretortoises gazed into each other's eyes lovingly and still a little awestruck. Afrida momentarily thought it was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen, until she selfishly heard the theme song for _CSI: NY_ playing in her head. The goddess knew all too well the sexual response cycle, which consists of four stages - excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution. By Afrida's visual estimation, Terri and Terra were still squarely in the excitement phase, and nowhere near plateau, let alone orgasm.

The goddess groaned and fell back to the ground. How could Terra and Terri still be going at it? The goddess knew virgins, including several of her own employees. Virgins notoriously have no self control. _Well, apparently, Weretortoises are different._

Afrida was bored. She flicked her hands and suddenly the _New York Post_ appeared. She forgot that she was being watched, and looked up to see Gladys gasping in shock. She heard, "Abner, Afrida just made the _New York Post_ appear out of thin air."

Abner replied, "So what, Gladys. I don't care. I'm watching _America's Next Top Model_. Quit gossiping about Afrida. She's officially our friend now."

Gladys clarified, "Well, friends make for the most interesting gossip, Abner. You know more of their business, so the gossip is more accurate."

Afrida mumbled to herself as she read the news, "You do have a point, Gladys. But I still think you need something else besides me to occupy your time."

The goddess flicked her hands and the _New York Post_, sending a wave of erotic energy straight into Gladys. Afrida smiled when she saw Gladys jump in surprise. The nosy neighbor's eyes darted back and forth as she processed her own, unexpected arousal. Gladys turned around and unpinned her hair.

Abner looked up and asked, "What's the matter with you, Gladys? Do you need another dose of medicine?"

Gladys archly replied, "Yes, Abner. I need a dose of _your_ medicine. Turn off the TV and let's go to bed."

Abner frowned until he realized what Gladys was proposing. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's gotten into you? It's not Saturday."

Gladys straddled Abner's lap and kissed him as she said, "I know, Abner. But we don't need to wait for Saturday. We can do it tonight, and then again on the weekend."

Abner was about to say something else, when Afrida flicked her hands, which were still holding the _New York Post._ This next wave of erotic energy went straight into Abner, cutting off his words. He suddenly grabbed Gladys and kissed her passionately.

Meanwhile, the goddess lay on the grass listening to the peaceful burbling of the Potomac River as she flipped through the _Post_. She stopped at _Page Six_, celebrity gossip, and read aloud. "Hmm, Jay-Z throws Beyonce a surprise birthday bash. Glam stylist Rachel Johnson gives the NBA a fashion makeover. Go, Rachel. Fall fashion shows are starting. Awww, there's Alexander Queen and Christy. Wellington annual family hunt rumored to be coming up soon. Top secret details are hard to come by, but get them here on Page Six. Stay tuned for updates. Hmm, I can't believe Paris Hilton still gets paid to party. I'm stunningly gorgeous and I have to kill vampires for a meager U.S. Army paycheck. I'm clearly doing _something_ wrong."

Afrida waited another twenty minutes and floated up to her apartment. She peered into her bedroom window, and once again her eyebrows raised in astonishment. Terri and Terra seemed to be virtually in the same position as before. Terri's movements seemed to be a little more energetic, which for him wasn't saying very much.

Afrida's jaw dropped as she watched Terri casually reach for a can of triple jolt cola that was resting on the night stand next to the bed. He tilted the straw so that Terra could take a sip first, then he took a sip for himself. He gazed affectionately into Terra's eyes as he slowly returned the cola to the night stand.

The little Weretortoise never stopped his slow, rhythmic writhing on top of Terra during the entire time he rehydrated them both. Afrida admired both the multitasking and the chivalry, but was still annoyed by the drawn out nature of this little sex romp. _Awww. How sweet. I always knew my little Terri would be a gentleman. But what the fuck! Who knew tortoises were such machines in bed? Clearly, I have to tell Helena and M that we're adding a Weretortoise to our list of prospective persons of interest._

The goddess suddenly remembered that Terra ran ultra marathons and rolled her eyes in dismay. Terri and Terra were just reaching the plateau phase. At the rate they were going, orgasm was another thirty minutes away, at least. The goddess mentally struck off _CSI: NY._ The only thing left was late night TV at this point.

Despite the fact that she remained temporarily homeless, Afrida was happier than she had been for two weeks. She was creating felicity and elation, and feeling good about herself for doing so. She was doing something selfless and good for others. Somehow she knew that this is who she was in her core. This was what she was meant to do. The goddess closed her eyes and enjoyed a state of bliss. But then she concentrated as she heard … whispers. _Prayers. "Please, god. Don't let my mommy and daddy get a divorce. I don't want them to break up. Please keep them together."_

The goddess frowned. She pinpointed the source of the prayers, and floated up to a tenth floor apartment. She peered in the window and saw a little girl, about age eight. She was kneeling on the floor with her little brother, who looked about four. The little girl and boy were wearing their pajamas. Both children were adorable, with almond toned skin and light brown curly hair. They were both praying.

Afrida could hear yelling and doors slamming from somewhere beyond the children's' room. Afrida frowned as she listened to their prayers. They wanted no more arguments, no more unhappiness. But their biggest fear was one monstrous word that loomed in both their little minds – DIVORCE. They prayed against divorce. The pleas seemed much too grown up to be coming from children so young.

The goddess floated away from the children's' room and peered into the living room window. She could see a man – average height, blonde, handsome. He was arguing with a beautiful, slender African-American woman who reminded Afrida of Kerry Washington. Afrida listened long enough to tell that the couple was arguing about money, careers and dreams. The husband was a medical student and the wife was an accountant. He wanted to do his residency overseas, working for a nonprofit. She thought such a move was impractical and didn't pay enough in salary. Besides, she had inherited the Watergate apartment, and she didn't want to quit her job, which was allowing them to just barely pay the taxes and condo fees, which were quite hefty.

Keeping the apartment was important to the wife, mostly for sentimental reasons. But the husband saw the apartment as a financial albatross around their necks. He wanted to sell the place, but the wife was just as adamant about keeping it. The husband was a dreamer, and not financially practical. The wife was a realist, and too pragmatic for her own good. Opposites attracting. Fundamentally, this was a good thing and a tried and true recipe for a successful relationship. The goddess searched their hearts and saw all the love that was there, but it was buried under mountains of arguments, insults, and miscommunications.

Wife: I'm not going to fucking Africa, Jake. We're not uprooting the kids and taking them to some place that doesn't even have clean water. You've always had these crazy ideas, and I've allowed you to drag us along with you for too long. I'm done!

Husband: And you're always thinking about money. Just money, nothing else. We'd have more than enough money if we sold this goddamn apartment. What about dreams? And you're supposedly so practical. How about the kids don't even have their own rooms in this apartment, but we're still holding on to it. They're getting too old to live like this, but do you care? No.

Wife: You know what I dream about, Jake? I dream about paying my bills on time. I dream about getting a return on _my investment_, all these years I've been supporting your ass through medical school.

Husband: I'm not an investment, Jennifer. I'm your spouse. Your husband. Is that what you're going to teach Jillian and Jake, Jr., that they're investments? And if heaven forbid they don't want to do everything you've so wisely charted out for them, then they're a fucking failure to your bottom line?

Wife: Oh, go to hell, Jake.

The goddess ignored the arguing and smiled. _What we've got here is a failure to communicate. And how adorable. They all have names starting with "J."_

Her mind made up about what to do, Afrida floated back to the children's' bedroom window. They were still praying. Something must have told Jake, Jr. that he was being watched, because he turned around. His big brown eyes widened as he saw Afrida hovering at his window. He hit Jillian, who turned around and gasped in surprise.

Afrida shushed them. The two kids came over to the window. Jake, Jr. confidently said, "You're an angel."

"And you are adorable. Look at those Winnie the Pooh pajamas!"

Jake, Jr. exclaimed, "I love Tigger!"

Afrida smiled and said, "Well, I love tigers, too. In fact, I have my very own tiger and he's quite big."

Little Jake's eyes widened at the thought of being able to own a big tiger. He confidently said, "You're an angel. You came because we called you."

Afrida smiled and whispered, "And you're so sure of that because?"

Jake exclaimed, "Because angels are beautiful and they can fly, and you're flying and you're beautiful."

Afrida melted as she shushed Jake, Jr. Then Jillian maturely corrected, "Angels aren't the only ones who can fly, Jake. Vampires and probably other things can fly, too."

Jillian suddenly realized what she said and took a quick step back from the window, protectively dragging Jake, Jr. with her. She whispered, "Are you a vampire? Please don't eat us."

Afrida smiled and said, "I'm not a vampire and I'm not going to eat you. I'm your neighbor. I live in this building."

Jillian spoke with a practicality and maturity that came from always looking after her little brother while her parents argued. She wisely observed, "You're not human. What are you?"

Afrida liked little Jillian's bravery and smarts. She explained, "I'm a friend. I heard you two fretting about your parents. Don't worry. They're not getting a divorce."

Jake, Jr. readily accepted the goddess's promise, but then he was only four and still believed in angels. He giggled and looked ready to cheer.

Jillian wasn't having a celebration so easily. She jerked her brother a little to calm him, then asked skeptically, "How do you know that for sure?"

"I just do," Afrida assured. "I'm floating away now, before your parents catch you talking to a stranger hovering outside your window. But everything's going to be fine. I promise. And don't say anything about me to your parents. This is our little secret."

Jake, Jr. nodded eagerly. He knew all about sharing secrets with angels, and this angel had just promised to make his mom and dad stop arguing. Jillian remained dubious, but a little part of her felt hopeful. Jillian leaned forward and little Jake stood on his toes as the two of them watched the beautiful angel float back down to her own fifth floor apartment.

Jake, Jr. said confidently, "I told you she's an angel." Jillian frowned, still mostly doubtful, as she kept her eyes on the goddess.

Afrida peered into her bedroom window._ Finally!_ Terri was now thrusting with a clear sense of purpose, as Terra held him tightly and moaned softly underneath him. Then Terri made a kind of keening, high-pitched sound over and over, as the two of them pushed past plateau into a happy ending of orgasmic bliss. Terri lay still for several minutes, then slowly rolled over and held Terra in his arms. He stared into her beautiful blue eyes, then said simply and plainly, "I love you, Terra." _Awwwwwww._

Terra answered dreamily, "I love you, too." _Yes, we're at pillow talk and cuddling._

The goddess floated backwards and leaned against the outer wall of the building. She sighed and smiled, content. This had taken longer than she had expected, but all's well that ends well.

But then Afrida heard Terri cautiously ask, "Was I … good?"

Terra easily affirmed, "You were wonderful, Terri."

Terri lamented, "I'm sorry I was so _quick._ That was my first time, and … you're so beautiful. I guess I just lost control. Do you want to do it again? I promise I'll take _longer_ this time."

Terra answered breathily, "Yes. Okay."

Afrida's jaw dropped and she wanted to scream in frustration. But this time she remembered where she was and silently plopped back down to the ground. She closed her eyes and breathed. It was time to accept that those two horny Weretortoises were doing an all-nighter in her bed. _I really feel sorry for MacArthur. He's going to get it tomorrow night, assuming Terra and Terri aren't still in my apartment fucking._

_**# # # # #**_

_**The Goddess of Love Bestows Blessings on the Residents of the Watergate**_

The goddess lay prone on the grass and gave herself a mental pep talk. _What's wrong with you? When did you become so … negative? I mean, really? Instead of being angry, you should be full of joy. Getting Terra and Terri together is a major accomplishment, and all the more special because you personally invested the extra effort to make it happen. So what if you can't get yourself off while enjoying prime time TV for one night? Maybe you should think of this as an opportunity to bring about a greater good._

Helena would be so proud of Afrida if she could see her goddess wife at this moment. The Goddess of Love stood as she had an exciting thought. She made up her mind that if she wasn't attaining sexual release tonight, she would at least give it to others. In fact, Afrida suddenly remembered that she had the ability to … create sexual attractions in others, and share in those experiences. She also vaguely remembered that she could … attain her own release … by tapping into the sexual unions she created.

While she had facilitated plenty of _romantic_ connections since falling into the lives of Helena, M and Quinn, the goddess had never created sex between or among beings, at least not deliberately so during this time on Planet Earth. Afrida thought _this time_ because she was fairly sure she had been on this planet before and had created such unions in the past, although she couldn't remember any of the details. All that was of no consequence at the moment, because the goddess was going to create sex now, and bring the joy of sexual love to many blessed recipients in her little corner of the world.

Afrida's eyes glowed softly like a dull sun as she raised her arms. The goddess's light penetrated the darkness of the Watergate courtyard, and reflected off the Potomac River. She slowly spun around in a circle as she floated into the air. Jillian and Jake, Jr. stood at their window and gaped as they watched the goddess work.

_**~~ Normal level music (Fire (Flashover Remix) – Ferry Corsten ft. Simon Le Bon): **Instrumental intro_

Meanwhile, in the kids' apartment, their mother was in her bedroom crying. She didn't notice the dull sunlight glowing outside her window. She was about to storm back into the living room and tell her husband she wanted a divorce. But then she stopped crying as a thought hit her. She suddenly saw a mental picture of her life without her husband. That future looked bleak and desolate. She saw herself, alone and forever heartbroken, never finding a love that matched her one true love. She scuttled the children back and forth between two homes, and worked dispassionately at a well paying job that she hated. And, ironically, she eventually lost her love for the apartment she was currently fighting so hard to keep. It would come to hold too many painful memories for her to enjoy being there. She saw herself selling it at a loss, and feeling grateful just to be rid of it.

Jillian and Jake, Jr.'s mom then saw image after image of her life with her husband. She saw and felt all over again those first longing stares, the awkward, stilted conversations and flirtations, their first kiss, the first time they made love. She saw the little arguments and big make up sex that always followed. She saw the birth of Jillian and then little Jake. She saw the four of them taking walks in the park and playing on the beach and eating ice cream. She saw all the good that was their lives, together. _Together._

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Jillian and Jake Jr.'s mom felt her heart and mind connect with the love she held for her husband, and nothing else. That love shined liked a beacon inside her, blocking out everything else that had seemed important enough to cause divorce just moments ago. _How could I have ever thought about leaving my husband? I love him. Maybe I'm not being creative enough about this situation._

Little Jake and Jillian's mother walked over to her desk and flipped through the offers for nonprofit jobs that her husband had received. She knew he would happily take any one of those jobs, and there were several to choose from. _Instead of seeing this as a limitation, maybe it's a bounty of choices._ She flipped, not knowing exactly what she was looking for, since she had never before been interested enough in her husband's impractical dreams to read any of the brochures. But then, some unseen force compelled her to pull out job offer materials in a particular large yellow envelope.

The offer letter read, "Weres Without Borders in cooperation with the Wellington Family Trusts are pleased to offer you a Frontier Medical Fellowship …" The wife poured over the offer letter. Her eyebrows raised in growing excitement as she read sections covering "spousal relocation assistance," "housing assistance," which included finding a tenant for a fellowship recipient's current residence in the U.S. _We could keep this apartment and make it affordable. A tenant could pay the taxes and condo fees while we're abroad. _There were other sections about schools for the children, and connecting with a vibrant American expatriate community in Kenya.

The wife circled a paragraph containing contact information. It read, "For fellowship recipients seeking assistance, please contact either Sheila Letterman (President and Founder of Weres Without Borders) or Kara Wellington (Director of the Wellington Family Trusts). She felt warm tears of joy stream down her face as she ran out of her bedroom to go find her husband. She suddenly couldn't get to him fast enough.

The wife found her husband sitting on the living room sofa with his head in his hands. He looked up, teary-eyed, when he saw his wife standing over him. He said wearily, "I'm tired of fighting, Jennifer. I'll do whatever you want. I'll let you … leave … if that's what you want. I'll sign the papers."

The wife knelt before her husband and said, "The only papers we're signing are the Wellington Trust forms for your new job in Kenya." She clung to him like her life depended on it, and spoke in hurried clips, trying to get everything out.

Husband: Wh-what are you saying? Are you … saying what I think you're saying?

Wife (nodding and crying a little): Yes. This whole time, I've been complaining about my husband not being good enough. The Wellington Trusts and Weres Without Borders give out _four_ prestigious Frontier fellowships to medical residents. Four fellowships per year, with applicants from all over the world, and my husband is one of those winners. The fellowship is so coveted that recipients communicate with the Presidents of the organizations. I mean, your contact person from the Wellington Trusts isn't some assistant. It's a freaking Wellington. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not … seeing how incredible you are. I'm sorry for not believing in you. I guess I just, got caught up in the wrong things. I forgot what was really important.

Husband: I thought … I thought you wanted a divorce.

Wife: I thought so, too. But something finally made me come to my senses. I know in my heart we're supposed to be together. Forever.

Husband: Maybe I'm never going to be your dream man, Jennifer.

Wife: Yes, Jake. You _are_ my dream man. See that's the thing. I suddenly stepped back and realized that I don't need to wonder about that anymore. I know this is right. Hey, dreams change (laughing a little). When I was younger, my dream was to marry Rick James. You're the one I want, Jake.

Husband: Even if I have these crazy dreams about going to Africa and saving the world?

Wife: Especially because of that. I know you must think I'm combative, neurotic, picky ... And maybe I am. But the weird thing is, I've never had to be anything but myself with you, right from the beginning. And with you I feel like I can do anything, say anything, try anything. And that's the life I want. I want an adventure with you. I love you.

Husband: I love you, too. Through all our fighting, I never stopped loving you.

Jillian and Jake Jr.'s dad stood and swooped their mom into his arms. He kissed her as he strolled to their bedroom. He bumped into a wall and almost dropped her. They both laughed and kept kissing each other as they made their way to bed.

_**~~ Normal level music (Fire (Flashover Remix) – Ferry Corsten ft. Simon Le Bon):**_ _Oh woman you make me feel, like you're on fire. Oh woman you make it real. It's the only way for me. Oh woman you make me feel, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire, like I'm on fire._

The goddess smiled, her eyes softly glowing like the sun, as she watched Jillian and Jake Jr.'s mom and dad in their bed making love. She winked her eye, sending an intermittent burst of sunlight that warmed Jillian and Jake, Jr. as they stood in their window watching. She then circled and watched Gladys and Abner in their bedroom, also being intimate. She floated and observed Terri and Terra making love in her bed. This time Terra was on top. The goddess tilted her head a little as she took in the waves of arousal from the three couples she had joined together in sexual union. She breathed in and out as she felt her own sexual excitement start to plateau.

_**~~ Normal level music (Fire (Flashover Remix) – Ferry Corsten ft. Simon Le Bon):**_ _Oh woman you make me feel, like you're on fire. Oh woman you make it real. It's the only way for me. Oh woman you make me feel, like you're on fire. Oh woman you make it real. It's the only way for me._

The goddess was elated. She wrapped one arm across her waist and the other high across her chest, cradling herself as she slowly circled in midair above her courtyard. She looked as if she was dancing with herself, to a song that only she could hear. She tilted her head and closed her eyes, and a pleasant, peaceful expression adorned her face.

Afrida wanted, needed to create more love. She circled a little faster, sending a wave of erotic energy into the entire Watergate apartment complex. She slowly opened and closed her eyelids, glancing in window after window as she danced with herself, taking in her wonderful, sensual handiwork.

On several floors, couples of all persuasions were making love or suddenly turning amorous. There were even a few threesomes and one foursome of various permutations, their bodies intertwined like living, moving pieces of art. Or at least that's what they looked like to the goddess, who thought few things were more beautiful than a nude body in its natural form. Such was, to her, a breathing masterpiece created by the gods and goddesses.

On the third floor, a young man delivering pizza was suddenly overcome with desire for his much older male customer, who indicated that he had no money for his delivery but could pay in other ways. On the second floor, two female coworkers dressed in business suits went over paperwork in an office. Their hands accidentally touched. They looked up and locked eyes, then started kissing and tearing each other's clothes off. The goddess felt herself peaking, but she needed more.

On the seventh floor, a coed book club meeting suddenly took an amorous, orgiastic turn, as more than a dozen bodies undressed and took to the floor in an erotic, tangled mass of arms, legs and other body parts. A penthouse party full of Washingtonian movers and shakers also turned into a full-blown orgy. A seasoned reporter at the event at first couldn't believe her eyes and her luck. The sexy reporter mused about how she was about to be legendary for this story of sordid sex at an elite Washington party; until someone grabbed and smashed her camera phone, then pulled her, now a willing participant, into the sex scandal of the century. The goddess's eyes rolled back in her head, as she felt continual waves of erotic energy flowing back into her.

Jillian and Jake, Jr. stood at their window, taking in the astonishing sight of Afrida floating and circling; and her entire body, not just her eyes, emanated light. Their hearts were full of joy as they listened to the sound of their parents making love in the next room. Like Quinn Tiger, all children know that parental lovemaking accompanied by deep professions of everlasting love are a positive sign. The word divorce grew distant in Jillian and little Jake's minds, until it disappeared entirely.

_**~~ Normal level music (Fire (Flashover Remix) – Ferry Corsten ft. Simon Le Bon):**_ _Instrumental closing_

Jillian and little Jake studied the Potomac River, which now reflected an array of images, which danced in the intermittent flashes of light from Afrida's eyes and body. They didn't recognize all the rapidly moving pictures being carried along by the river. The moving pictures were future happy moments in the lives of all the residents of the Watergate apartments. The kids _did_ recognize images of themselves and their parents in some unknown place, which they would later come to know was Kenya. They saw themselves in a school, on safari watching lions, digging wells for people to bring them fresh, clean water, and eating ice cream in the middle of a makeshift camp ground. Most of all, they saw themselves as a family, happy and together. _Together._

Jake, Jr. whispered, "See, I told you she's an angel."

This time, Jillian agreed, "I think you're right."

The goddess closed her eyes. She moaned softly as she circled faster and faster in the air. On the ground below, an array of the most beautiful flowers suddenly sprang from the ground, stretching up, budding and blooming over the course of less than a minute. By the time the goddess fell out of the air in her own personal state of orgasmic bliss, she was literally captured by a thick bed of multicolored roses. She lay on her back and breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction, as her body moved from the orgasmic phase into the resolution phase. She blinked, and her sunlight orbs returned to their normal shade of blue. She looked up at the stars and smiled, then slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

_**# # # # #**_

_**Washington, DC: Thursday, September 9, 2010**_

Afrida stood on Abner and Gladys Kravitz's balcony taking in the morning sun, the light of which pushed through the clouds of an overcast sky. She was dressed for work, having floated a fresh uniform from her apartment to the Kravitz's. She was now deep in thought, reflecting on a dream she had the night before. She had fallen asleep beneath the stars following a blissful orgasmic release that was unlike any she had experienced, at least in a very long time. Somehow, she knew she had had such an experience in the past, many times; but she couldn't remember when.

She remembered looking up at the stars in the sky and thinking about how far away they seemed. Then she had drifted off to sleep. The dream wasn't even long enough to be a dream really. It was more like a snippet of thought looping itself over and over.

_**# # # # #**_

_Afrida was falling, so fast she couldn't catch her breath. She saw the twinkling stars, uninterrupted by atmosphere and clouds. The stars gazed at her through the dark expanse of outer space. She fell too fast to scream, even though inside she wanted to scream. She had no control. Then she saw something in the distance below her, a person, maybe. A woman, maybe. Afrida did everything she could to twist and maneuver her body as she fell … downward. The figure in the distance seemed to be floating … upward. Yes, Afrida and the woman were going in opposite directions._

_When angling and twisting her body didn't quite work, Afrida wished. She wished to be close enough to the floating figure to collide with … her? Then suddenly Afrida found that her trajectory shifted, and she was indeed on a collision course with the figure floating upward. It was a woman, and her physical features became more and more distinctive as the two of them came closer together._

_For a frightening moment, Afrida feared that she would plummet past the woman. But just as she had this thought, she felt strong hands grab onto her, breaking her fall. Then Afrida seemed to be suspended in the middle of space. The woman's upward float and Afrida's downward spiral cancelled each other out, and the two of them regarded each other, almost motionless. Afrida didn't know what to make of the woman, who was beautiful, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She reminded her of herself. It was almost like looking into a mirror._

_Afrida didn't know what to say, and then finally she asked, "What's your name?"_

_The question seemed silly and nonsensical. Afrida had been hurtling through space for who knew how long, and this woman was the first person she had encountered; and all she could ask was her name. But the woman didn't seem to think the question was odd. In fact she told Afrida her first name. In the dream, Afrida tried to remember that name. It was on the tip of her tongue. It was just beyond her mental reach. It was a name she knew all too well, but she just couldn't remember._

_What Afrida did remember was what the woman told her. The woman locked eyes with her and said, "You're on the eve of your greatest greatness. Listen to me. You're Eve. You're Eve. When you find the first man, listen to him. He belongs to me. He is the first man, Eve. He belongs to me. Listen to him, and do what he tells you."_

_Afrida was sure that the woman had told her other things, but she couldn't remember._

_**# # # # #**_

Gladys was saying something, which pulled Afrida out of her thoughts. She asked, "I'm sorry, Gladys. What did you say?"

Gladys answered pleasantly, "I said I hope that just eggs and toast were okay for you for breakfast. We usually add bacon, but you don't eat that."

Afrida turned and smiled. She said, "It was wonderful, Gladys. I'm practically a vegetarian, except for some occasional fish and a bit of chicken; but no pork or red meat. I'm used to making do when I'm somewhere unexpected. And thank you again for letting me use your shower."

Gladys shook her head, "That was nothing."

Abner strolled out, still looking very tired. He observed, "Well, don't you look sharp, Afrida. I'm an Army man myself, but I have to say nobody in my unit wore Army green quite the way you do."

Afrida smiled and said, "Thank you, Abner. You look like you might need another nap."

Abner scratched his head and replied, "I think I might. I don't know what got into my wife last night. I was attacked, I tell you. But I'm not pressing charges."

Afrida and Abner laughed, while Gladys blushed and said, "Stop it, Abner. Afrida doesn't want to hear all that."

Afrida turned back toward the balcony and said, "I'll be right back. I'm going to check on my little love birds."

She floated over to her apartment and peered inside. There was Terri and Terra. She could see them, or at least part of them from the angle where she floated. They were tucked away in the kitchen. Afrida could see enough to tell that they were ostensibly having breakfast, but were in fact having sex against her refrigerator. _Those horny Weretortoises are christening my entire apartment._

Afrida was about to turn and leave, when she saw Terri slowly head into the bathroom draped in the bed sheet. Terra was comfortably nude as she strolled through the living room. She turned shy and grabbed a robe from the bathroom when she saw Afrida hovering at the window. Terra said to Terri, "I'll be there in a minute." She shut the bathroom door and hurried over to Afrida.

"Hi," Terra said shyly.

Afrida smiled and said, "Hi. I see things went better than well."

Terra answered sheepishly, "They did. General Afrida, I'm sorry we were here all night. I know we must have put you out. I guess we got ... a little carried away."

Afrida shook her head and said, "It was fine. I got to spend some quality time with my neighbors, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I'm glad you got carried away. Your first time should be special and unscripted." The goddess thought of Terra's planned seduction and added, "Well, as unscripted as possible."

Terra and Afrida laughed. Then Terra said, "We're getting ready. We'll be coming into work soon. The only thing about random, unexpected sex - which was great so I'm not really complaining - is that the next day you have your old underwear and clothes. I could get by with my same clothes, but I wish I had a spare pair of underwear. I know Terri feels the same way. I mean, he'll be a little bothered about wearing his blue corduroy pants on a Thursday, but he can work through that."

_Suddenly, brand new Victoria's Secret matching bra and bikini underwear (in cinnamon flavored red) appeared on Afrida's bed, alongside an unopened pair of boxer briefs. The briefs were adorned with the University of Maryland's Terrapin mascot and little captions that read, "Fear the Turtle." _

Afrida said, "If you check my bed, I think you'll find I had some time to take care of the underwear issue for you. I'll see you at work."

Terra was about to say something disbelieving, but she made herself shut up. By now, she had learned not to underestimate her general, or to question her too much about things that seemed impossible. So she just leaned out the window and hugged Afrida and cheerily said, "Thank you."

Afrida smiled as she watched the beautiful Weretortoise head to the bathroom, most likely to christen the bathtub with Terri while ostensibly showering for work.

Afrida floated back over to Gladys and Abner's apartment and entered through the window. Abner was situated in his recliner and Gladys was sipping hot tea on the nearby sofa. Afrida said, "Well, you two. I just popped back in to tell you to have a nice day. I'm off to work. It's looking a little overcast, like we'll get some much needed rain. So I'd better get going. It doesn't take much bad weather for traffic to be crazy in DC."

Abner disagreed, "Actually, Afrida, according to the morning news, you should have no problem getting to the metro. Things are unusually flowing this morning."

Gladys added, "Abner's right. The streets are virtually empty. It's like everybody in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. decided to sleep in late this morning."

"Huh, that's good to know," Afrida mused.

And with that Afrida headed out the door and to the elevator. She heard the familiar _ding_ and stepped inside when the door opened. To her surprise, the elevator was already occupied, with Jillian, Jake, Jr. and their parents.

The mom said, "Hello."

Afrida smiled and said, "Good morning."

Jillian's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. Afrida winked at her, reminding her that she promised to keep some secrets. Little Jake, who had been all about keeping secrets with angels last night, couldn't contain himself. He was, after all, only four and hadn't yet mastered self control. _You remind me of Quinn and his out of control babies. _

Little Jake giggled and fidgeted, to the point that his father asked him why he was being so silly this morning. Jillian prodded him a little, but Jake, Jr. couldn't take it anymore. He spilled out, "You're an angel."

Little Jake's mom laughed and exclaimed, "Oh really? This is what you're going to tell beautiful women when you meet them in elevators?"

His father added, "Well, at least he likes accomplished women, like his mother." Then to Afrida, "Am I reading your insignia correctly? Are you a general?"

Afrida nodded and said, "I am."

Jake pulled away from his parents and stood right next to Afrida. She kneeled and said, "Well, you've got beach gear. It looks like you're going somewhere fun. Not like work, which is where I'm going."

The mom chimed in, "We're being bad. We're all playing hooky and going to the amusement and water park today. It's always better when you go during the week."

Afrida observed, "That's true."

"Come with us!" Jake, Jr. piped up.

Mom cautioned, "Jake, Ms. … what's your name, I'm sorry?"

"Afrida," the goddess replied, as they all exited the elevator and congregated in the building's lobby.

"Ms. Afrida has to go to work. She's a responsible general," Mom said.

Little Jake wasn't moved and said, "She can come if she wants to play. She's an angel and she can fly."

Jillian looked alarmed and was about to grab little Jake. But Mom said, "I'm sorry, Afrida. He's at that age where he can't tell fantasy from reality."

Afrida shook her head and said, "He's the perfect age. There's nothing wrong with a little fantasy, sometimes. That goes for us adults, as well. Sometimes we need a little _adventure_ in our lives, just like (to little Jake) ... what is your name?"

"Jake!"

Mom laughed and added, "Yes, as you just heard, this is Jake, Jr., who must really like you because he's usually very shy. I'm Jennifer and this is my husband, Jake, Sr."

Afrida could see that Jillian wanted contact, but she was trying to keep her promise and not be too familiar, unlike a certain over excited four-year-old. Knowing this, Afrida looked to her and asked, "And what's your name?"

Jillian startled, as if she had to process that the angel from last night was actually speaking to her, in front of her parents. She said, "J-jillian."

Afrida smiled and said, "What a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl." The goddess extended her arm and shook Jillian's hand. As she did, she emitted just a touch of warmth and happiness. It was a secret communication, and a little reward just for Jillian for being such a good secret keeper. Jillian smiled knowingly, happy to be sharing her own little secret with the angel.

Jake wanted more attention. He screamed, "Come with us! Go on the water slide."

Afrida, still kneeling, tickled little Jake, and he giggled uncontrollably. She promised, "Maybe another time? Maybe I'll see all of you again and we can hang out."

Mom said, "I'll bet this is going to happen. We're getting ready to leave, and now we're going to start meeting all these really cool people in our building that we wished we'd met before. Like you, Afrida. Let's do something anyway. We live in Apartment 1005 and we're in the registry at the main desk."

Afrida looked up and replied, "I'm in Apartment 522. I'm in the registry, as well. Where are you guys going?"

Dad said, "We're taking a sabbatical and going to work in Kenya."

Afrida raised her eyebrows, impressed. Mom added, "My husband got a fellowship to practice medicine there, and I'm going to try and get a placement with the Kenyan government, helping them with their tax administration."

Afrida said, "That sounds like quite an adventure. I'm very happy for you." Then to little Jake, "You're going to see lions!"

"And tigers, too?" Jakes asked excitedly."

"And probably tigers, too," Afrida agreed. The goddess was about to stand, when Jake grabbed her and clinched her in a big hug. Afrida hugged him back, and gave him his own dose of warmth and happiness.

Mom was utterly stunned. She said, "I'm sorry, Afrida. He never does that. He's usually really shy and cautious around strangers."

Afrida smiled and hugged Jake tightly. She looked up at Mom and mused, "Well, I guess I'm not a stranger."

Afrida felt a rich fullness, a warmth that flooded her, as Little Jake sent _her _a shot of warmth and happiness. The goddess loved small children because they, unlike any other beings on the planet, were closest to the heavens. They therefore retained so much of their wonder and belief in the mystical and magical. They also evinced many heavenly powers, even though they weren't aware of them.

For the first time ever, Afrida felt truly connected to her home in Washington, D.C. Maybe it shouldn't be viewed as a place of isolation. There were new people to meet, and new experiences to be had. There was love to give, and to receive. She felt … on the verge of something, but she didn't know what. _You're on the eve of your greatest greatness. You're Eve. _

The goddess mused on all of this as she leisurely made her way to work. As Gladys and Abner had stated, morning commuter traffic was indeed perfectly sparse and flowing.

_**# # # # #**_

_**Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010**_

_**Woodrow Wilson Physical Activity Center (PAC)**_

Quinn Tiger bent over, catching his breath. He and his father had spent the past three hours in the gym sparring with each other. Quinn had had a few moments of brilliance, and learned several new moves and techniques. But to the alpha tiger's dismay, he never once got the better of his so-called beta wolf father.

M teased his son, "You're looking a little whipped, Son. Maybe you took your old man for granted, a little? Yes?"

Quinn breathed out, "Maybe I did, General M. I'm going to get my ass kicked in a real fight if I can't even beat my parents."

M corrected, "Not so fast, Son. Don't be so hard on yourself. For vampires, fairies and Weres … I don't know about maenads and androids and other supernaturals, but it's probably the same … age is an advantage, not a detriment. Your mothers and I are stronger _because_ we're older. We're also wiser from being in so many fights, so even if we were weaker than you, we'd still have a tactical advantage."

Quinn asked, a little despondent, "So what does that mean? I'm never going to be able to beat a supernatural opponent who's older than me?"

M clarified, "No, you can and you will. Just probably not your parents. In addition to age and wisdom, we've got one more advantage over you that a stranger won't have."

"What's that?" Quinn asked, a little hopeful.

M replied, "You're our son. We have a bond with you. Mine isn't nearly as strong with you as the one between you and Helena, or even you and Afrida, but it's there. All three of your parents have spent years studying your every move, to the point that we can predict what you'll do before you do it more times than not. A stranger, even one who's older and more seasoned, won't have that advantage."

"I see," Quinn said slowly, taking this in.

M changed the subject as he undressed to shower, "So, what are your plans for tonight?"

Quinn undressed and followed his father into the shower. He answered, "I'm not sure. Whatever I'm doing, it will be at home. Afrida ordered me to stay home last night and tonight. Not that I could have gone anywhere last night, anyway."

"Hmm," M mused. "Yes, too much Skittles. Why did you get so angry with Terri over candy? Why did you do what you did to his … pet?"

Quinn stood under the shower. He guiltily averted his eyes from his father's gaze and said, "I don't know. I just got mad, and then all of a sudden I felt like I was in this … haze of rage. Hours went by, but the rage was still there. I wanted to do these … things. I craved them. I can't explain it any better than that."

M thoughtfully said, "It's okay, Son. I understand exactly what you were feeling. I'm an old man compared to you, but I remember feeling those same things. I still feel them now, sometimes."

Quinn looked at his father, surprised. He said, "You do?"

M nodded, and explained, "You've got all kinds of desires coursing through your veins. Some are just hunger, for nourishment, but that hunger feels like you want to eat a whole herd of bison. You want to kill or hurt things. A lot of your desires are for sex. And all of it blends together until you can't tell it apart. That's all those aspects in you that have just awakened - vampire, tiger, fairy, maenad, all clamoring to be satisfied."

Quinn just stared at his father, waiting for him to say something else. M was right. Quinn felt all those things.

M worried, "You're a young man now, Quinn. It's a dangerous time for you, especially in the modern world we live in. You instinctively want to be a wild animal, but the world is a civilized place, supposedly. It's not, really. But it pretends to be. And it severely punishes wild animals, at least those that don't know self control."

Quinn asked, "How do I control … anything?"

M replied, "The time to take control happens before you get in an uncontrollable situation, Son. You need to have a plan ahead of time. If you wait until you're in the moment, it will be too late. For example, you're going on a date tomorrow night, with Kara. Let's be frank, man to man. You want to have sex with her. And I'm not talking about tender, romantic movies kind of sex. To put it plainly, you want to fuck her. And you're aware on some level that you're bigger and stronger than her. You could … take her, whether she wants it or not."

Quinn protested, "I've … thought about that, yes. But those were just thoughts. Fantasies. I would never hurt Kara. I wouldn't-"

"You would never _intend_ to hurt Kara, Quinn," M corrected. "But the biggest mistake you can make right now, with all that's going on with you, is to tell yourself you're not capable of it. If you're not honest with yourself, you'll do something you regret. And take it from your father, regret over hurting someone you love feels a thousand times worse than the shame of looking at yourself in the mirror ahead of time, and seeing who you really are."

Quinn and M dried off and dressed. The alpha tiger frowned and asked, "Okay, then what? How do I keep from … hurting someone else when everything inside me wants to … eat them alive?"

M finished zipping up his Army green pants, then ran his hand affectionately through Quinn's hair. He explained, "This works for every being you instinctively want to hurt. Step back, stop for a moment and see them. I mean, really _see_ them. See them as a living being that feels pain. Imagine yourself in their shoes, being on the receiving end of your attack. Perhaps Afrida has already helped you with this. Yes?

Basically, I'm saying treat that person, or being in the case of Ben the tortoise, who you're tempted to see as "the other" and hurt ... treat them the same as someone you love. Treat them how you would want to be treated – the golden rule. As for a certain young woman in your life that it seems you're growing to care a lot about, pay attention not just to her, but to the world around her. I think you'll be amazed, and a little horrified by what you see."

Quinn asked, confused, "What do you mean?"

M smiled and said, "Quinn, I know right now, you're … not happy about the strong Were bond you have with your mother. You're not thrilled that you and Helena literally share each other's thoughts and feelings. But, you've been given a very special gift that most men, of any species, will never know. You can know and understand what it feels like for a woman. You can know what it feels like for a girl in this world."

"I don't understand. Why would I want that? I mean, it is my life, so I've never known anything different. But why would I want it?" Quinn asked, as he followed his father out of the men's restroom and back into the gym. They packed up their training gear and sweaty clothes.

M observed, "Because the better you understand those who are different, the better you will be. And the better you understand your partner in a relationship, the better partner you will be. You're currently thinking of Kara as the person you want to … uhm, partner with. Yes?"

Quinn nodded. M continued, "Then you need to understand her, and part of understanding her, is understanding what it's like for a woman. For most women, the world is a constant conflict zone. In most civilized situations, that conflict may be subtle, but it's still there and sometimes very dangerous. In less civilized situations, the threat of physical harm is always real and constant.

Notice I said civilized _situations,_ and not civilized _societies_. That's because any society, no matter how civilized, can suddenly turn barbaric. I've seen this first hand, Quinn. Women often find themselves surrounded by predators, stronger beings who want to claim … ownership over them, satisfy their lusts. Sometimes those predators are people who are supposed to love or protect them. Your mother and I lived in such a world before you were born. So all I am giving you, Son … all I can give you, is my personal experience. Maybe I'm jaded, but I believe what I'm saying is sound advice."

"But men face danger all the time. And men protect women," Quinn objected.

M laughed a little at his son's innocence. He then turned gravely serious as he glared at Quinn and said, "Men do face danger, but for the most part it's a very different kind of danger. And _some_ men protect _some_ women, but often, even for good men, it's the women they love. Other women, many of those same men don't care so much about. Tell me, Son … those images in your head that make your dick rock hard, images of holding women down and forcing yourself inside them until they cry and bleed, how would you feel about a stranger, or even me, doing that to one of your mothers? I think I'll go home right now and try it."

Before M could react, Quinn grabbed him by the collar with lightning speed and shoved him hard into the wall. Quinn leaned in close to his father and growled low in his throat, pressing his forearm into M's muscular neck. The alpha tiger's fangs clicked and his eyes glinted as he threatened to shift. M stood motionless and unafraid. He continued to glare at his son.

M then said, "Very good, Son. It seems you won't tolerate harm to your mothers, even at the hand of your own father. And yet, as angry as you are right now, be honest with yourself. _You_ have those same dark desires toward Kara. In fact, you've been relishing them, maybe looking a little forward to this weekend with those desires in mind. Haven't you? Well, isn't Kara someone's daughter? Sister? Future mother? Maybe even the future mother of _your_ children. But right now you don't care about Kara's well being in quite the same way as you do Helena's and Afrida's. Do you, Quinn?"

Quinn stepped back and released his father. He felt ashamed, but M held his arm and kept him close. "I'm not trying to cause you shame, Quinn. Look at me. Do you know why most atrocities get committed? It's not the truly evil person who enjoys being evil. Yes, those people exist, but they're not nearly as plentiful as you might think. Most atrocities are committed by truly decent people who fool themselves into thinking they could never do such things.

Don't ever fool yourself, Quinn. Know the darkness that you're capable of, so that when you feel it threatening to take you over, you have the presence of mind to stop it. Pay attention to other people, especially the women in your life. You'll be a better man if you do. And when you make a mistake … and you will make plenty of them, trust me … be a man and own up to them and try to make things right. You can start tonight by talking to your mother."

Quinn objected, "My Mother won't understand what's going on with me. She just wants me to do what she says. She can't … help me with this."

M shook his head and said, "That's where you're wrong, Son. I know your mother can be … challenging. But it's quite something to be loved by Helena Wolfe. Both Afrida and I know that as well as you do. Yes, she is protective, perhaps overly so, but she loves you very much, and she wants to be there for you. Not only that, Quinn. She _can _be there for you.

Be honest with her about the things that are going on with you, Son. I think you'll find that she's ready to listen to you. You should also listen to her. I think you'll find out that there's more to your mother than you know about, a lot more. She understands what you're going through better than you think. Trust me. You might be surprised."

_**# # # # #**_

_**Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010**_

_**Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)**_

_Kara sat in a metal holding cell. Her hands were tied behind her back. The thick rope that was restraining her was tightly looped around her chair, ensuring that the Werelioness couldn't move and loosen her bindings. Kara was bloody and weak from being beaten and raped, but her captors weren't close to breaking her. She wasn't giving up any intel to the enemy. She rocked and prayed, and centered her mind._

_The Werelioness smiled weakly when she saw Helena enter the room. The alpha wolf brandished a weapon, and had evidently killed whoever was guarding the entrance to Kara's holding cell. Thank god her general had come to rescue her. Kara said, "General Helena, I'm so glad to see you. There are two soldiers in the room right behind me, and from what I can tell the perimeter is secured by-"_

_Helena suddenly growled at Kara and raised her weapon. She smashed Kara in the face with it, cutting off Kara mid-sentence and splitting her lip. Kara doubled over in pain, but managed enough strength to look up in shock at Helena. Before Kara could formulate a question, Helena punched Kara square in the face, then roughly gripped her by the hair._

_The alpha wolf leaned in close to Kara and growled, "You were waiting for me to come for you? Well, here I am. I came today because I wanted to give you a special thank you for all the wonderful things you said about me to Rachel Sullivan yesterday."_

_Kara cried a little as she asked, "Helena, what are you doing?"_

_Helena pressed her body into Kara as she reached behind her and cut the ropes binding her hands. Then the alpha wolf said, "I'm showing you how I really feel about you, Kara. I had to bide my time until I got my record cleared of those stupid accusations about me hating cats. Now that I've done that, I want you to know that I don't hate cats. That's because the word "hate" doesn't begin to encompass the loathing I feel for cats, and for you personally."_

_Kara looked shocked and horrified, so much so that she couldn't move. She whispered, "You … you don't mean that."_

_"Oh, yes I do," Helena reiterated. "Why would a wolf care anything about a fucking cat? Yes, I know my son is a cat, but he's not really. He's not a full-blooded cat like you, so I tolerate him. As for you … I saw right through you from the moment I met you. I detest your little charade of being this sweet, caring person when we both know you're a little bitch queen in waiting. You're just like your mother and your aunts."_

_Before Kara could say anything, Helena jerked the Werelioness out of her chair and slammed her head first into a wall. Kara was dazed, but had no time to recover. Helena dragged Kara by the hair over to a basin and pressed her head down with one hand, and used the other to turn on the spigot. Kara knew plenty of ways to fight back, but she was too stunned to move._

_As the basin filled with ice cold water, Helena leaned over Kara, pressing her body into her. She whispered in the Werelioness's ear, "Did you like getting fucked by all those soldiers? Sure you did, even though your slutty ass will lie and say you didn't like it. I was watching. I enjoyed the show very much. Your fake little virgin ass needed to be fucked a long time ago."_

_Kara tried to hold in her tears, but her eyes were brimming. She cried, "Helena, stop it! Why are you doing this?"_

_Helena showed a feral grin and said, "Are you as stupid as you look? Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? I told you why I'm doing this. Because I fucking hate cats. I fucking hate everything about you and your entire family. Did you really think I would let you suck my son's cock, let alone date him or whatever it is you think you're going to do with him? Well, on second thought, maybe I will let him fuck you, like I did to your mother and your aunts."_

_Helena pushed Kara's head underneath the freezing water. The Werelioness scrambled frantically, trying to get her bearings; and she was clearly panicking. Helena heard Kara choking and jerked her head out of the water. She pulled Kara's head back while at the same time pressing down on her back. The angle was imposing excruciating pain on the Werelioness. Helena commanded, "Tell me your positions, and the pain stops."_

_Kara's eyes darted back and forth erratically, but she gritted out, "No."_

_Helena punched Kara hard in the side, breaking her ribs and knocking the air out of her lungs. Before Kara could recover, Helena pushed her head back under the water and held her there until she started swallowing big gulps of liquid._

_Helena jerked Kara's head back up and whispered in her ear, "Oh, you know all that talk we do about the meaning of life. I never told you this, but my vampire father communes with some of the oldest beings in existence. They were literally made by god itself. I hate to break this to you, but god doesn't give a shit about you. In fact, the god that you think exists … doesn't exist at all. You're praying to a brick wall."_

_Kara spat out, "You're lying, and you don't believe that. I know you, Helena. I don't know why you're doing this, but you don't believe that! You're … testing me."_

_Helena punched Kara repeatedly, literally wiping the room with her bloody body. She grabbed Kara, picked her up, then slammed her onto the floor, breaking her arm in the process. The alpha wolf leaned over Kara, who was now crying openly._

_Helena's face was emotionless as she said, "Kara, you are so incredibly naïve. I've been playing you like a book this whole time. Don't you think it's a little odd that your mother sent you to work for me just when I needed to hire cats to clear my name? Why do you think your mother gave you to me? Because she wanted that? No, she gave you to me because I own her and her entire fucking pride of hot bitch lionesses. And now I own you."_

_Kara's eyes widened as Helena slowly unbuttoned the lioness's blouse. Helena smiled and licked her lips as she said, "You think I'm testing you? Okay, I'm about to test you right now. I know you've been curious about what I did to your aunts, and your mother. Well, let me show you. I'm not going to be gentle, either."_

_Kara tried to push Helena away, but Helena held her down. The alpha wolf said, "Tell me about your positions. Give me some intel. We don't have to do this."_

_Kara didn't say anything. She closed her eyes and prayed. She opened her eyes, only to be met by Helena gripping her neck and smashing her head into the floor. The alpha wolf taunted, "I told you there wasn't any god. You can't pray your way out of this, cat bitch. Right now, I'm your god. I own you. Do you know what vampires do when they own something?"_

_Kara's eyes widened when she saw Helena's fangs distend. They looked huge and powerful. Kara scrambled and cried out, "Helena, stop, please! Stoooppppp!"_

_Helena held Kara down and ripped open her shirt, exposing the lioness's neck and chest. She roughly turned Kara's head to the side and sank her fangs into her jugular vein. Kara screamed in pain as she felt her throat being torn open. But her mind screamed in greater horror because it was Helena who was hurting her, violating her. Helena, the one person Kara trusted completely. Kara trusted Helena more than anyone else in the world, more than her own mother._

_Kara felt her mind separating into disjointed parts. She tried praying, but Helena had just told her there was no god to hear her, and whether she wanted to or not, Kara believed Helena. God suddenly didn't give her any comfort. The very spiritual Werelioness … doubted._

_Kara tried to control her panic, her breathing, but suddenly she couldn't. She tried, but couldn't suck in enough air. She was hyperventilating, losing herself. The pain being caused by Helena, who was still clamped onto her neck and aggressively sucking her blood, started to feel far away and distant, as Kara felt her mind floating out and away from her body._

_**# # # # #**_

Kara was screaming as she opened her eyes. Bright light assaulted her pupils, and she squeezed her lids shut. She heard Helena's voice calmly saying, "Kara, breathe."

But the Werelioness was too far gone. She refused to open her eyes and continued flailing and screaming. She heard Helena's voice, which sounded far away and muffled say, "Give me the swaddle. Hurry." This was followed by hurried, rustling movements.

Kara felt her arms being pressed close to her body, like a mummy. She was quickly wrapped in something tight and warm. She stopped flailing, because whatever she was wrapped in prevented her from doing so. She felt an eye mask being gently placed on her face, and an oxygen mask being placed over her nose.

The Werelioness breathed in sweet, rich oxygen. It filled her lungs and calmed her. At first she was taking super-sized gulps, but gradually her breathing regulated. After some untold amount of time, Kara felt her mind return to her body. She slowly took in her surroundings. She could hear not only Helena's voice, but Jenna's voice. She could smell both Helena and Jenna. They were both kneeling over her, caressing her forehead and speaking to her in soothing tones.

Kara heard Helena say, "Okay, Kara. I'm going to slowly remove the eye mask. Just breathe and open your eyes when you're ready."

After Helena removed the mask, Kara sensed the brightness of the room through her closed eyelids. She kept her eyes closed and breathed. Slowly, she let her eyes flit open. She saw Helena's face hovering over her and immediately she panicked. Kara tried to wriggle away from the alpha wolf. She found herself in Jenna's arms. Jenna soothed her, whispering, "Shhh. It's okay. It was a simulation. Remember. You were in the torture chamber. General Helena didn't really hurt you. It's okay. You're safe."

Kara relaxed, and was finally able to look around the room. She saw the rest of her team looking at her with varied degrees of horror and relief. Colonel Kara felt embarrassment creeping in as she remembered that she was doing a demonstration of the torture chamber for a class.

Kara managed to utter, "Thanks. I … I'm okay. Can you, unswaddle me, please?"

Helena and Jenna unswaddled Kara. Then Helena carefully extended her hand, waiting to see if Kara would recoil. Kara didn't, and so the alpha wolf gently caressed Kara's forehead. Helena looked genuinely sorrowful as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Kara, but I had to give you that simulation."

Kara nodded, fully understanding why Helena did what she did. Helena stood and addressed her entire team, "Does anyone know why I unexpectedly subjected Colonel Kara to a simulation that depicted me as her torturer who worked to deliberately shatter her faith in both me and God?"

Gerald raised his hand and said, "Because Kara used her faith in you and God to help her resist all the other kinds of torture?"

Helena nodded solemnly and agreed, "Exactly right, Colonel Gerald. The torture chamber can simulate one hour of torture in six minutes. Colonel Kara is our most exceptional student, proving herself able to withstand the equivalent of consecutive days of unrelenting torture, in every form imaginable. She holds the record at fourteen straight hours in the chamber. That's 140 hours, almost six straight days. I was beginning to think that Colonel Kara is a masochist, and the torture chamber was actually pleasurable for her."

The team, including Kara, laughed. Helena continued, "Then I discovered that Colonel Kara was using two extremely effective techniques to withstand whatever pain I threw at her. She focused on me, and all the lessons I've taught her. She focused on making me proud, on not letting me down. She also focused on her faith in God, in her spiritual beliefs. While I'm flattered to be in the same company as God in Colonel Kara's mind, I became very worried for her.

You see, Kara looks invincible, but we are only as strong as our weakest point. This is an ancient lesson. We learn it from Achilles. We learn it from Goliath. King Solomon. Samson. The stories teaching this lesson are endless. And so it was with Colonel Kara. Once an enemy discovers that all of Kara's fortresses rest on the foundation of me and God, what do you think they will they do?"

Jenna spoke up, "The enemy will attack those two weak points relentlessly."

Helena nodded, "Exactly. Colonel Kara had developed strong psychological defenses that allowed her to withstand countless hours of physical and mental torture. It was effortless for her. She looked like Neo at the end of the first _Matrix_ movie."

More laughter throughout the team. Helena intoned, "But how long did Colonel Kara last when I shattered her faith in both me and God? Less than an hour. She came close to going mad. She violated every rule she's been taught about resisting torture. She didn't stay focused and in the moment. She engaged her torturer and tried to argue with my presentations of fact. She relinquished her mental power to me. She stopped thinking and processing information. In fact, the two things that seemed to make her invincible, were turned into her greatest weaknesses once they were discovered."

Helena paced in front of her team. She looked serious, needing her soldiers to understand the importance of what she was saying. "By all accounts, we may soon be involved in a battle. It may be isolated skirmishes. It may be an all out war. Our government intends to put down vampire insurrections, wherever they occur. You will be on the front lines of those encounters. The reality of an engagement with an enemy is that you may get injured. You may die. But the other reality that no one wants to mentally process is that you may experience something worse than dying, something that makes you wish you were dead. Torture.

We've covered the various ways one can be tortured. But reading about it on paper is nothing compared to experiencing it. And a simulation is nothing compared to the real thing. Our minds are instinctively hard-wired to give us the information we need to survive. In a simulation, even one as harrowing as that which Colonel Kara just endured, her mind told her deep down that she was in a simulation. She won't have even that minimal comfort in a real world situation. But we're doing the best we can do."

Deanna Smith looked visibly disturbed as she asked, "So if I can't even rely on God to get me through torture, what do I depend on?"

Without hesitation, Helena said, "Yourself. I know it sounds counterintuitive, especially to anyone here who is deeply spiritual; but that is the answer. Most of us have a restrictive, immutable concept of God. Our faith doesn't leave room for sudden reinterpretation of core spiritual truths. That takes a long time. And when you're being tortured, time isn't on your side. If you have such a versatile spirituality, I'd say use it. But most of us don't have that, so I say rely on yourself. Does anyone know the name J. Bruce Ismay?"

There was silence, until David Burke raised his hand and said, "He built the Titanic."

Helena affirmed, "Yes, Lieutenant David. J. Bruce Ismay owned the company that built the ship that supposedly couldn't sink. In fact, he was on board that famous voyage when the ship crashed into the iceberg. He was a man with supreme faith in the impenetrability of the ship he built. In fact, every major decision he made rested on his faith in the truth that the Titanic couldn't sink.

For example, the ship was equipped to hold 48 life boats, but Ismay limited the number of boats to 16. He didn't want the ship to look cluttered in photos. And why would they need lifeboats, when the entire ship was one gigantic unsinkable lifeboat. The ship's captain had received an ice warning on the day the ship sank. There was plenty of time to slow down and avert icebergs, including the fatal one that sank the ship. But Ismay insisted that the ship speed up instead of slowing down. Do you know why? Because he wanted to break records in his trek across the Atlantic.

Ismay's faith in the unsinkability of his beloved ship was unshakeable, until of course, the ship started sinking. Then Ismay panicked. He climbed into one of those 16 lifeboats and turned his back in shame as the ship nosedived into the ocean, killing more than 1500 people. Those passengers might have been saved if there were 48 lifeboats on that ship, instead of just 16. In fact, the Titanic may never have sank, if Ismay had just slowed down the ship … if he had just entertained the possibility that his devout faith in the Titanic's unsinkability was misplaced.

Ismay was an extremely brilliant man. He knew that ship like the back of his hand. Maybe he could have come up with an idea in the critical moment that would have saved more lives, delayed the water's advance into the ship. I don't know. My point is that Ismay wasn't able to try anything, because once his faith was shattered he was a broken man. Do you now understand why unyielding faith can be dangerous in certain situations, Deanna?"

Deanna nodded, still trying to process the idea. Helena concluded, "Review your homework. We'll do another session in the chamber tomorrow. Remember, the short term goal is always survival. We've read about the psychological damages. Torture and traumatic experiences can literally transform you into a different person. But in the moment, while you're captured and cannot control your own freedom, or even your own body, your only goal is to survive, to live. Therapy is for later. That's it for today.

Helena's team started to leave, but Helena put up her hand, signaling them to remain seated. She said, "Before I let you go, I need to tell you how incredibly proud I am of all of you. As you all have heard, I was unavailable yesterday during the biggest crisis our team … our entire base has ever experienced. The fate of millions of people was literally in your hands, and you all rose to the occasion in the greatest way possible.

Here I was lamenting that my team is dysfunctional, that you guys can't work together. Well, I was so wrong. A part of me wishes I was here with you yesterday, but a bigger part of me is glad that circumstances prevented me from being here. My absence gave all of you the chance to be great, to shine; and I am so … in awe of all of you. You all have been the talk of the base, and beyond. There are people at the Pentagon and the White House talking about you."

Colonel Kara interjected solemnly, "You trained us, General Helena."

"Yes," Helena agreed. "Being the commander has its burdens and its benefits. I get the blame if you fail, and I get the praise when you pull off something like what you did yesterday. But the truth is that you all had to execute without me, in the moment, and you did. And for that, you deserve all the praise.

I'm not going to say anymore, but I think Team MSIG 2 is going to get some recognition, from some people in high places. Those high places are waiting for Colonel Brad to finish recuperating and return to work. But in the meantime, words cannot express how proud I am to be your general. Way to go, Team MSIG 2! Class dismissed."

_**# # # # #**_

_**Helena Spends Time With Her Mini-Me**_

While her entire team had moved out to the desert for field exercises, Colonel Kara stood alone in the torture chamber training room. She was deep in thought. She stood eyeing the chamber. She replayed the horror of thinking that Helena was betraying her. And she was ashamed of how easily she was beaten during the simulation. But there was something else tearing at the core of the Werelioness's soul, a deep dark foreboding that she felt but had never talked about with anyone.

Kara was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Helena come behind her. Helena waited for Kara to sense that she was in the room. When Kara didn't, Helena gently said, "Kara, are you alright?"

Kara jumped and then turned to face Helena. She looked wary of the alpha wolf, but calmly said, "Yes, General Helena, I'm fine. I'm sorry. I was about to head out to the field test site."

Helena interjected, "You can come out when you're ready, Kara. I just wanted to check on you to make sure you were okay."

Kara bristled a little. She hated being defeated by anything. She replied, a little edgy, "I'm fine, General Helena. Really. I was just thinking about David's paperwork, which is due today. I recommended him for Reconnaissance School."

Helena recognized that Kara was changing the subject, trying to pretend that she wasn't shaken by the torture experience. The alpha wolf knew Kara was lying, but she went along with it and asked, "Reconnaissance School? For David Burke. He'll be shifted all the time, flying into danger zones. I don't think he's ready for that, Kara."

Kara replied, "Well, I do."

Helena replied, more firmly, "Well, I don't."

Kara stepped forward and met Helena's gaze. She calmly but firmly said, "I disagree, General Helena. David risked his life during yesterday's earthquake. Reconnaissance School means accelerated pay and benefits, and an increase in rank. David deserves all of that, and more. He earned it."

Helena shook her head, "I admit that David's heroics yesterday were extremely impressive, but that doesn't mean he should be given a job assignment that requires him to shift into life threatening situations every week."

Kara replied, "Well, I disagree, and I believe I have the final word."

Helena frowned as she asked, "And what makes you think that, Colonel Kara?"

Without missing a beat, Kara said, "My general makes me think that, and the paperwork in my desk that she signed, which delegates and makes _me_ the commander of David's section. That authorization gives me the power to unilaterally recommend my section members for assignments and promotions. That authorization can only be overridden via formal, _written_ protocols."

Helena looked shocked by Kara's resistance to her authority. She asked, "You would require me to go through written procedures to protect David. You won't follow my orders on this, even though it was I who gave you your authority?"

Kara said in a measured tone, "I will listen to your reasonable arguments and take them into consideration. If those arguments are compelling, I will reverse my decision. But I will not simply allow you to give me an order that overrides my authority. And no, it doesn't matter that you gave me that authority."

Helena wanted to test her mini-me. She charged her and invaded her personal space. She growled out, "And why would you dare to do something so … obstinate?"

Kara stood her ground and met Helena's gaze as she said, "Because my general also taught me that when anyone, including her, gives authority, it's not real if the giver can take it back at will. If I have been given the right to command, then _no one_, not even she who once held that right, should be allowed to maintain any vestiges of that power, except to the extent that I so permit. If another tries to usurp the authority so given to me, I am compelled to resist by any means until that person understands who is in command. Otherwise, I am nothing more than a puppet, and I personally won't tolerate anyone pulling my strings."

Helena smiled proudly. She couldn't help but run her fingers through Kara's hair. The alpha wolf mused, "This general of yours sounds like a piece of work. Perhaps I need to kick her ass."

Kara played along and joked, but sounded serious, "If you say one more disparaging word about my general, I will kick _your_ ass."

Helena arched her brow and asked, "Is this bravado more of the bullshit your fearless general taught you?"

Kara replied, "My general taught me that I am the team leader. The leader is really the chief servant. She leads by example. She steps up ahead of her soldiers, even to the point of being tortured or dying first ahead of them."

Helena squared off against her favorite recruit and jibed, "That, of course, assumes you have the capability to stand and deliver."

Kara squared off, but said, "Perhaps you shouldn't do this. Perhaps you're not in the mood, in your weakened state."

Helena retorted, "Not in the mood? Mood is for eating and love play, not for fighting."

Without warning, Helena struck and Kara blocked. Helena kept sparring with Kara. She wasn't putting much into it, partly because her body hadn't fully recovered from Afrida's Skittles attack. She was testing the Werelioness to see if she was carrying baggage from her ordeal in the torture chamber. Kara performed admirably. Helena asked, while chasing and punching after Kara, "Is this the fighting skill your general taught you? It looks weak."

Kara replied as she blocked and punched, "Don't be fooled. My general taught me how to always win a contest by a 3-1 margin. I have a strength, which gives me 1 point. I have a weakness, which may give my opponent 1 point, unless I can defend against my weakness, in which case my enemy gets nothing. But let's give her 1 point. We're tied.

My enemy has a weakness, which I will exploit, that gives me another point, for a total of two. It's now 2-1 in my favor. Finally, my enemy has a strength, which she thinks will give her a clear victory, or at worst a tie. But my general has taught me not to fear a strong opponent. The stronger my enemy, the better, because I will use all of my enemy's strength against them. Thus, I will win 3-1."

Just as Kara said this, Helena went for a strike, propelling herself forward. Kara ducked and grabbed Helena's arm, pulling Helena's body forward using the alpha wolf's own momentum. The Werelioness sent the alpha wolf crashing into a wall. Kara snapped out of sparring mode and looked horrified as she saw Helena shaking off the blow her head took as she crashed into the wall.

Kara ran over to Helena and helped her to her feet. She exclaimed, "Oh my god, Helena. I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Helena laughed a little and shook her head. She said, "No, Kara. Don't ever apologize because your sparring partner wasn't ready. I'm responsible for deciding to spar with such a tough opponent and letting my guard down."

Kara looked extra guilty, as she remembered that Helena had reportedly had some kind of seizure during yesterday's earthquake, which explained why she was uncharacteristically unavailable when all hell was breaking loose on her team.

The Werelioness whispered, clearly feeling bad, "Are you sure you're okay? From yesterday, I mean?"

Helena nodded and said, "I'm fine, Kara. I may need another day of rest, but I feel fine. You kicked my ass fair and square. That will teach me to badmouth your general."

Kara said, pretending to be threatening, "Yes, and don't you forget it."

The two women stared at each other, then broke out in laughter. Kara laughed for several seconds, but then she suddenly turned serious. Helena noticed Kara's change in mood, and came close to her. In fact, Helena had noticed that Kara had several moments during the past two weeks during which she looked deep in thought and worried about something. The alpha wolf affectionately held Kara's arm with one hand, and rubbed her forehead with the other.

Something was really bothering Kara. Helena guessed it was the torture chamber, but to the alpha wolf's surprise, Kara was blocking Helena's access to her thoughts. Kara almost never did that, which made Helena worry that something else was bothering her mini-me. Helena waited for Kara to talk.

Instead, Kara leaned forward and touched her nose to Helena's. The gesture relieved Helena, since Jenna had explained to her that Kara would never have touched noses if she was afraid of Helena hurting her. Kara would never be vulnerable before Helena if she still harbored fear of Helena from being in the torture chamber.

Helena stood completely still as the Werelioness rubbed her face against hers and purred. The alpha wolf felt the warmth coming from Kara, the same as she had felt from Quinn when he made these gestures; but she still wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. All she knew was that, according to Jenna, Kara's gesture meant that she was marking Helena as her territory. She was claiming her as belonging to her. _It's a good thing to be owned by a big powerful predator, like a Werelioness. It's a very good thing._

To Helena's surprise, Kara hugged her and buried her head against her shoulder. The hug started out gentle, then suddenly Kara was squeezing Helena, holding on for dear life. Helena felt Kara's desperation, which triggered her feelings of protectiveness. She hugged Kara back, holding her tightly, and whispered, "Please tell me what's wrong?"

Kara replied in a whisper, 'If I ask you to do something for me, will you do it?"

Helena thought for a moment, trying to get a clue as to what Kara was going to ask, but the Werelioness was still hiding her thoughts. Finally she said, "I'll try Kara. I won't promise you until I know what it is."

Kara said, "I need you to put me back in the torture chamber and run the simulation again, the one we just did today. I need you to do that now."

Helena frowned and shook her head. She leaned back and held up Kara's face with both hands. She affectionately regarded Kara as she said, "No, Kara. I know you don't like failing, but I think it's too much, too soon. You need a break before going back in there. Combat isn't on the horizon and we-"

Kara shook her head frantically and said, her voice elevating, "No! You don't understand. I'm not worried about combat with vampires. I've got much bigger problems than vampires, and I'm going to need this training way before any vampire war starts."

Helena was afraid and confused by Kara's desperation and visible fear. Her mind raced, and she felt immediately protective of _her_ Kara. There it was – all the maternal feelings, the same ones Helena felt for Quinn. Helena had never seriously questioned how she had come to feel about Kara, and those maternal feelings for the Werelioness only became stronger when she determined that Kara and her son were mutually interested in being together.

But it was one thing to jokingly refer to Kara as her mini-me. It was another thing entirely to feel her instinctive, protective wolfen rage flare up inside at the mere thought of someone harming Kara. But in the moment, seeing Kara so visibly distressed and holding her in her arms, Helena accepted those maternal feelings and all that came with them. Just as Kara had marked and claimed Helena, the alpha wolf had claimed the Werelioness as _hers_, as her daughter. Now she needed to protect her.

The questions raced through Helena's mind. Why would Kara need to withstand torture, psychological torture specifically, at the hands of someone she loves? Why did she fear someone who she would normally look to for protection? And why would she need preparation to deal with such an attack sooner rather than later?

Helena couldn't help the sense of dread about Quinn that came to her mind as she asked, "Kara, what are you talking about? Who do you think is going to hurt you? Tell me."

Kara gravely said, "My family … my aunts ... my mother. And I'm afraid that I don't have much time."

* * *

Girl I can't notice but to

Notice you, noticin' me

From across the room, I can see it

And can't stop myself from lookin' and

Noticin' you, noticin' me

Watch out, I've seen her type before

That girl is so dangerous, that girl is so DANGEROUS

That girl is a BAD GIRL – I've seen her type before

She's so dangerous, that girl is so DANGEROUS

That girl is a BAD GIRL! Yeahhhhh!

_**Ending Scene Song: Dangerous by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon**_

_**Credits Song: Planet Earth by Duran Duran**_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies and other media quoted in this chapter include _Charlie's Angels (the movie), Bewitched_, _The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Cool Hand Luke, Zoolander, Heathers, Something New_ and _Dune_.

I shamelessly borrowed Gladys and Abner Kravitz from the television show _Bewitched_. Apparently, they moved from living across from Samantha and Darrin Stephens at Morning Glory Circle in Westport, Connecticut to living across from Afrida Erasmus in the Watergate apartments in Washington, DC. However, Gladys simply traded one beautiful, blonde, supernatural neighbor for another, so she's still got plenty of spying and gossiping to do.

Little Jake and Jillian's mom and dad make up with each by quoting Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker in _Something New._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Fire (Flashover Remix)_ by Ferry Corsten ft. Simon Le Bon (Incidentally, Simon Le Bon is the lead singer of Duran Duran, which sings the credits song for the Planet Earth chapters); _Dangerous_ by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon and _Planet Earth_ by Duran Duran.

(3) Terripin Curry's brother Torypin met his secret girlfriend at the Wave Goth Festival in Leipzig, Germany. This is the largest Goth festival in the world (or at least that's how it describes itself). This year's festival was last month, May 17 – 20, 2013. The first attempt at this festival took place in 1987, without a strong showing. The festival's true "inaugural year" was 1992, post German reunification. It now gets thousands of attendees from all over the world.

(4) Masters and Johnson discovered the four stages of the human sexual response cycle, which they reported in their groundbreaking book entitled _Human Sexual Response_, published in 1966. William H Masters and Virginia E. Johnson pioneered research on human sexual response and the treatment of sexual disorders. Unfortunately, a history of these subjects before a certain time period (and even today) will describe some disturbing realities for women and those whose sexual orientation is other than straight. For example, Masters and Johnson ran a program to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals. During this time period, homosexuality was considered to be a psychological disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. Critics also point out that many of Masters and Johnson's observations about female sexuality were made through a particular cultural lens.

For those interested in learning more about the work and romantic relationship of Masters and Johnson, Showtime will be airing a drama about their life starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. The show is entitled _Masters of Sex_, and is scheduled to air in September of this year.

(5) _Weres Without Borders_ is a homage to the real world organization_ Doctors Without Borders_ (aka _Medecins Sans Frontieres_), an international humanitarian organization created in 1971 by French doctors and journalists. The organization sends volunteer doctors and nurses into distressed and war torn locations to provide impartial medical care. It received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. I paid homage to the real life organization's English name by referring to _Weres Without Borders_ and to the organization's French name by having the dad receive a _Frontier Fellowship_ to provide medical services in Kenya.

(6) J. Bruce Ismay's story, which to be fair is the stuff of much rumor at this point, came from the following article: Frances Wilson, "J. Bruce Ismay: Doomed the Moment He Jumped Ship," The Telegraph, August 3, 2011.


	15. Dangerous 3 - Helena Learns a Secret

**Epic Love Story – A Pam and Tara Novel**

**Chapter 15: Planet Earth**

**Subtitle: Dangerous, Part 3**

(General Hobbes Awaits A Very Important Assignment; Helena Learns A Secret About Herself, aka Dangerous Damaged Diamonds)

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_**Author's Notes:**_ Thanks so much to everyone who is reading, enjoying and giving me feedback on this story.

I am sorry it has taken me longer than usual to update. I lost a week due to being out of town for work, then family life happened, in a good way – weddings and graduation celebrations. Hopefully, this grand opus of a chapter more than makes up for the delay. This should be days' worth of reading, at least. More than enough material to engage you until the next update. I have included numerous headings, to help you find a place to stop reading and return to it later.

I didn't plan it this way, but it turns out that a major theme of this chapter is breaking free from imprisonment. Some characters want to break free of the chains of their past. Others want to escape their future destiny. So it seems fitting that I'm giving you this chapter on Independence Day (at least for those of you in the United States). Enjoy some reading over the long weekend. Happy Independence Day!

I received several messages asking my thoughts on the season opener of True Blood, during which our girls said the following:

Pam: We fuck once, now it's you and me, girlfriends forever. That's what you think?

Tara: No, I think you're too busy cryin' over some unavailable asshole to give what's happenin' between us a chance.

Pam: Oh, honey. This isn't going to be some _epic fucking love story_.

Of course, I did a double take when I heard that they had sex. Like when did that happen?! Oh, off screen on the beach. Well, gee. That's all I will say. I'm optimistic that this is ultimately going to be good for our girls.

And then there was the line about this not being some _epic fucking love story_, which hopefully means it totally is going to be just that.

I don't know if that line spoken by Pam was a shout out from the TB writers to this particular epic love story, but many of you seemed to think it might be. It would be kind of neat if it was, huh? :)

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**Full Disclosure: **I tagged this story as a Pam and Tara novel, which it very much is. I am giving this disclosure so that readers don't expect to read about Pam and Tara from the very beginning of the story, and then get surprised when that is not the case. This chapter is part of a section of the novel called the Planet Earth (PE) chapters. The PE chapters are a prequel to Pam and Tara's story. **The PE chapters, which include this chapter you are about to read, do not feature Pam and Tara. ** If you only want to read chapters that feature the characters of Pam and Tara, wait until the prequel chapters (which include both the Prologue and the Planet Earth Chapters) are finished and the Pam and Tara chapters begin. Check the Table of Contents to this novel to see when that transition from the Planet Earth chapters to the Pam and Tara chapters will happen.

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This chapter is in eight parts, and it's all about dangerous women who will feature significantly in this Epic Love Story. Like Pam and Tara, these women are dangerous because they've been damaged by someone or something. But underneath all this damaged dangerousness, they are diamonds. Or to paraphrase The Man From Dallas, their crumbling edifices conceal the Taj Mahal. Personally, I have a special place in my heart for strong, somewhat dangerous women. They make history and blaze trails for all of us. By the time you finish all the parts of this chapter, you will know one or two really nice surprises. But I'm not telling.

I don't own the True Blood characters or the characters and dialogue from the various social media that I reference in this story. This story, however, is an original True Blood parody and satire; and that's mine.

**I'm gonna write this anyway, but reviews, love, constructive criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Trigger Warning: This chapter contains suggestions and strong discussions about non-consensual sex.**

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**_Outer Space_**

**_~~ Normal level music (Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II)_**

As it moved through the expanse of space, Planet Earth performed a dance of three simultaneous movements. First, it rotated on its own axis. Second, the blue planet circled the sun. The third motion was infinitesimal, and caused by the competing gravitational pull of the sun and moon. If one imagined a long stick going through the blue planet from top to bottom, it would make the earth appear to wobble like a spinning top. This wobbly motion is called precession.

The precessional rotation of the earth gradually changes the direction of the earth's axis over time. The "North Star" as viewed from Planet Earth will be different as time passes and the earth wobbles through a complete rotation. A complete precessional rotation takes approximately 26,000 years to complete. This 26,000-year time span is called a "Great Year." This "Great Year" is divided into twelve astrological years, which correspond to the twelve astrological signs.

The vernal equinox, otherwise known as the spring equinox, is the time of year in spring when the sun lines up on the same plane as the equator. Night and day are of equal length on this day. In the Northern hemisphere, this happens sometime around March 21. If one were to view the rising sun on the vernal equinox, around March 21 of each year, one would see a constellation in the background. Because of the earth's precessional rotation, this background constellation changes as the earth moves through each astrological age. It takes between 2,000 and 3,000 years for the earth to move from one astrological age to the next, depending on the size of the particular constellation.

In 10,500 B.C., the so-called Golden Age, the sun rose on the vernal equinox with the constellation Leo in the background. This was the view that the leonine Sphinx gazed upon from its seat in front of the pyramids of ancient Egypt. Today, the sun rises with the constellation Pisces in the background. However, with each slight wobbly precession of the earth, this background is gradually shifting away from constellation Pisces and into the constellation Aquarius. Hence it is said that we now are living during the "dawning of the age of Aquarius."

It also is said that each astrological age brings with it influences specific to the ruling nature of the particular constellation that gives rise to the sun during the vernal equinox. Those who believe in the astrological precession of the ages insist that we are moving out of the Piscean Age of water, monotheism and materiality into the Age of Aquarius, which will usher in an era of harmonization, love and evolution of consciousness.

However, those living during the time of a shift from one astrological age to another are forewarned that the process of change and upheaval is tumultuous and fraught with tension and uncertainty. It is akin to childbirth on a grand scale. When our past gives birth to our future, there is much pain and fear and angst. But ultimately, this process results in positive growth and evolution. It is a good thing.

**_Washington, DC – Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_~~ Low background music (Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II)_**

**_General Adam Hobbes Awaits a Very Important Assignment_**

Meanwhile, _on_ Planet Earth, the past also was giving birth to the future, at least in the lives of some of its inhabitants. Perhaps this was due to the earth precessing one degree more into the ambit of the constellation Aquarius. Perhaps it was due to astrological shifts that created minute slivers of openings in celestial doorways that had been previously closed. Perhaps it was quantum physics. Or perhaps it was simply that, at long last, the time had come.

Today General Adam Hobbes celebrated his 90th birthday. The entire day had been one uninterrupted ode to his life. First, there were the balloons and well wishes from his staff at morning coffee. Then it was lunch with the men he lovingly referred to as his _old fart general friends_, even though every single one of them was at least twenty years younger than him. And closing out the day was a surprise birthday party in which any and everyone at the Pentagon was invited to attend.

Adam's party was capped off by a video montage highlighting the old general's illustrious career, and a brief phone call from the President. By any measure, today was a day to remember for Adam Hobbes. And the celebrations and merriment would still be going on right now, had Adam not taken the liberty of leaving work early.

Several of his work colleagues (unlike his lunch buddies, he wouldn't call them all friends) had proposed taking him out to a strip club that evening, but Hobbes had begged off to go spend a quiet evening at home. General Dodson, definitely not in the friend category, had joked, "Come on, Hobbes. You only turn ninety once, if you're lucky. We've lined up some hot women who will unwrinkle your old chicken and more if you want it. And we all chipped in for the Viagra." _What a putzy little asshole. _

Hobbes graciously declined, saying that while the offer was tempting, he and his wrinkled old chicken planned to spend a quiet evening at his apartment. The men at his job couldn't understand why on Planet Earth Adam would want to spend his birthday at home … alone. Some joked that he had his own little hot date lined up, and he was being secretive so as not to ruin his reputation. Hobbes denied the accusation.

In Adam's honor, or so they claimed, the men from his job (and two women) planned to go to the strip club without him. The soldiers planned to start the evening's activities at their old favorite, _Juicy Lucy's Big Bush Club_, then make their way to as many other clubs as possible. They comforted the birthday boy with the knowledge that, "We'll be out enjoying titties all night, if you come to your senses and change your mind."

The old general was in a meditative mood, which wasn't unusual for him these days. As he sat on the weathered, brown leather sofa in his home office, Hobbes wondered whether deep contemplation was a particular pastime of the elderly. It had certainly become so for him. He had shorn his uniform, and instead wore a pair of black casual slacks and a loose fitting white button down shirt. Although Hobbes was elderly, he was exceptionally fit. A life in the United States Army had given him great muscle tone and posture, much of which he retained despite his advanced age. His head was full of brilliant white hair, and his blue eyes were clear and sharp.

Hobbes checked his watch and sipped his Cognac, savoring it as it sloshed over his taste buds. It was from his expensive stash. He had been saving the unopened bottle for a special occasion, but then he decided that at his age, being alive was special enough.

What Hobbes didn't tell the men (and two women) at his job was that he did indeed have a date. But it wasn't the sort of thing that any of them could possibly fathom, so why go into it. How could a ninety-year-old man explain to his colleagues that he was rushing home because he anticipated spending an evening with his mother? Well, how could he say such a thing and not sound completely crazy? So Adam kept the reason for his anxiousness to get home to himself. Besides, his mother had always been a steadfastly private person regarding her family affairs, and Adam mused that she probably wouldn't want him sharing the subject of their little rendezvous with anyone.

Adam Hobbes was born in 1920, almost two years after the end of the Great War, or World War I as it was later called, due to the occurrence of a second great war that began in 1939. His mother was thirty-four years old when she had him and his twin sister Eve. His mother told him that she named her twin children Adam and Eve because they were the first miracles in her life, the first and only priceless things she had ever created. Her two children also were the first beings who ever seemed completely human and real to her. Almost everyone else, every other being, was a distortion of matter and motion, which she mostly ignored.

Adam and Eve were miracles partly because their mother assumed she couldn't have children. But they also were miracles because she was indifferent about children, decidedly uncharmed by them; and yet somehow Adam and his sister had made their mother love them. His mother often said, "I was never meant to have children, but I suppose that must be wrong because here you are. So perhaps I wrongly believed I was never supposed to be a mother, but Destiny had other ideas." For some reason, his mother always laughed at this observation, as if it were deeply ironic. Adam learned not to try to understand his mother, and simply to love her.

Adam and his sister inherited their mother's striking features, including her lush blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. His mother was a woman ahead of her time. Or perhaps she was out of time completely, because Adam couldn't think of any time period in history that would comfortably house his mother's iconoclastic, and often sacrilegious bravado.

Hobbes remembered his mother in the late 1920's and early 1930's, not a prudish time in many respects, even by today's standards. Societal expectations for women underwent a dramatic shift during these years, fueled by divergent phenomena, including the increased attendance of women in college and Sigmund Freud's revolutionary idea that women and men have the same fundamental impulses and sexual desires. Yet even during this time of relative excess, his mother always went too far. There were the cocktail parties to which she wore dresses that were too revealing, comments that were just too honest (_if you have to ask, my dear, then you knew that dress was ghastly when you left your apartment), _and behavior that was just too shocking.

Adam fondly remembered being ten-years-old and traveling on a trip through Europe with his mother and sister. He had been especially fascinated by an outdoor fountain he encountered on their travels in Italy. Said fascination was helped by the fact that it was an extremely hot day. The young Adam leaned over to pierce the glistening surface of the water with his fingers, hoping to pull just a bit of coolness into his roasting body.

Then Adam heard "Non farlo!" "_Stop that!" _There was some miserable old Italian woman telling him not to invade the sanctity of the fountain.

Adam recalled that his mother didn't like the old woman's words, but she was especially pissed off about what she called "the insipidly arrogant European tone." Before he knew what was happening, his mother had pulled him and his sister into the fountain, fully clothed, and was encouraging them to romp through the gushing water.

The three of them were enjoying themselves quite a bit, much to the ire of a growing crowd, headed by the miserable old Italian woman. The fun lasted until the police arrived. Then his mother stilled him and his sister as she took a starkly different pose, suddenly kneeling in the fountain and feigning tears.

Adam's mother had an uncanny sixth sense when it came to the police. She always seemed to know when officers were minutes away, giving her time to prepare accordingly. Adam recalled that his mother had frequent interactions with police and other authority figures during his childhood. She also was exceptionally good at producing any emotion on demand; although she wasn't at all emotional in the absence of an audience.

Adam's mother was fond of telling both her children, "Not diamonds, but tears … tears are a woman's friend. And a beautiful woman? Well, tears are her _best_ friend. Eve, learn to produce your best friends at will. Adam, be on guard against them."

And so just as the Italian police officer pushed through the crowd, there stood Adam, his sister Eve and their mother, dripping wet with both water from the fountain and their own tears. The officer asked what this was all about, and without missing a beat his mother tearfully recounted how her son had been enamored with the beautiful fountain. He was just leaning in to get a better look at its beauty when for some inexplicable reason that miserable old woman pushed him in.

The look on the old woman's face was priceless, a mixture of shock, horror and seething anger. But unfortunately for her, the old woman didn't have any best friends. Maybe it was because she was so old and miserable, and ugly. Adam's angelic mother, on the other hand, had too many best friends to count.

The scene turned into a melee of flurrying accusations and attacks that quickly threatened to become physical. Despite all of this, that Italian officer had no problem sorting out exactly what had happened. Of course, that officer believed Adam's beautiful, tearful mother and her countless best friends, who were all testifying about the horrible host the country of Italy had been to a vulnerable American woman traveling alone with her two children. His weeping mother also managed to make it known that she was married to a very powerful general in the United States military. Thus, the accusation that she would deliberately do something so idiotic as to jump, fully clothed, into a fountain in the middle of a populated Italian square was ludicrous. Except … that is precisely what his mother had done.

As they waited for the Italian police officer to disperse the crowd that had been attacking them, Adam's mother whispered mischievously to him and his sister, "When I'm good, I'm good. But when I'm bad, I'm better."

As they rode in an escorted car to the United States embassy, his mother saw Eve look a bit sheepish. His mother didn't like that look of shame at all. She asked Adam and his sister, "Did we have fun?" The answer, of course, was "yes."

His mother then asked, "Are we hot now?" The answer, of course, was "no."

His mother then said, "Children, remember that embarrassment should never have a place in your life. People who spend their lives being embarrassed about the things they do end up swimming in a sea of regrets. I don't know about the two of you, but I'd much rather spend my time swimming in a beautiful fountain in the middle of an Italian square."

His mother smiled that mischievous smile of hers as she caressed Eve's cheek, and Adam saw all of his sister's embarrassment slowly drift away, replaced by a joyous smile. The three of them joked and laughed all the way to the U.S. embassy, where they enjoyed a cool shower and a hot dinner. Adam recalled eating dreadful spaghetti at the American Embassy in Italy, which seemed wrong, even to his ten-year-old sensibilities.

There were so many memories, and so many audacious moments. But if any of those moments could possibly sum up who his mother was, what became affectionately known as "the fountain incident" was just as perfect as any other. Adam marveled that this had been his life for twenty-four glorious years, which was how long he had enjoyed being with his mother before she died in 1944 at the age of fifty-eight. Breast cancer. It was the same cancer that would later take his wife and daughter when they were around the same age. His twin sister Eve had died much younger, in a boating accident. Except for Adam, those on his mother's side of the family seemed doomed to die young. He was the last of his mother's family line.

Adam Hobbes had watched his mother pass away in a private hospital room at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. At the time, he was a young soldier fighting in World War II. He had been given a reprieve from the war to be with his mother in her last days. She had been given the best care money could buy, but the cancer had proven too much.

His mother told him, "Don't cry, Adam. You're wasting perfectly good tears. There's no one here to see you perform except me, and I don't give a shit. You only live once, but if you do it right, then once is enough. And I did it right. You know the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And I have burned so very brightly. I think maybe there will be a little less burning bright for you, Adam."

Adam's mother, as always, had been right. He had had an incredible military career. He had fought and won many battles, and one Great War; but he never lived life with the kind of rich abandon that his mother had. But that was okay, because he had floated in her brilliant orbit for twenty-four years. And her influences had permeated through every single year of his life, all the way up until this very day, his ninetieth birthday.

On the day his mother died, her voice was so robust and clear that Adam hoped against hope that maybe she wasn't really dying. It seemed to Adam that if his mother was dying, it was more akin to taking a trip, going on holiday. It wasn't awful and depressing, as he had feared it would be. She seemed so … vibrant, _like life itself_. Maybe the doctors, as excellent as they were, were wrong. But his mother had said she was dying, and he believed her word more than the opinion of any doctor. If she said it, then it was true.

She told him, "I know you have so many questions about me, Adam. You have questions about my life, about who I really am. You've always sensed that there is _something _about me, that I have … secrets. I've left you some of my journals, redacted of course. I've also left you many pictures, but some of them I burned. There's only so much a son needs to know about his own mother. And there are some things I'm taking with me to the grave. You'll find them out after you pass through what I'm passing through now, and not before."

Then she turned … it was hard to describe, almost sad. She seemed heartbroken, but joyous at the same time. She held Adam's hand and intoned, "But there is one story that falls in between the realms of what you can know now, and what you will know in the next life. That is the story of my Pumpkin, who is going to need your help. You're the only one who can _help me_ to help him. It has to be you, Adam. Because when the time comes, you'll be the only member on my side of the family still alive."

"Mother, what are you …" What are you talking about? I don't understand," Adam implored. If not for the sheer force of her coherence, Adam might have thought the pain drugs were making his mother delirious.

His mother explained, "You won't understand it now, Adam. You're not meant to understand right now. And I don't want you doing anything about it now, anyway. Pumpkin needs to have this time, these years, to enjoy his life. He needs to forget the pain. But there's eventually going to come a time when he has to take on that pain face to face. I've put the wheels in motion to help him do that. But I'm going to need a little help from you to pull it all off. That is your destiny."

For some reason, his mother was always fond of destiny. She talked about destiny like it was her dear friend. No more than a dear friend. Adam's mother talked about destiny as if it were her _sister_, and she knew all her secrets. His mother often told him and his sister that they were children of destiny. _Remember this, Adam and Eve, you are children of Destiny. You are children of Fate. Don't be afraid of anything, ever._

Adam shook his head, confused, and said, "Pumpkin? Pumpkin and you broke up years ago, Mother. I didn't even know you still kept in touch with him."

"No!" his mother yelled. Adam recoiled, because his mother almost never showed strong emotions about anything, at least not genuine emotions. "You don't know what you're talking about. Pumpkin and I didn't … break up. We separated. I … separated myself from … him. I had to do that for reasons you will understand later. Just suffice it to say that being away from me, far away from me, came to be what was best for him.

But you remember this, Adam. Just because two things are separated, doesn't mean their connection is severed. In fact, when two things have been joined together by fate in the way that me and Pumpkin were joined together, they can never be severed. Separated, yes. But never severed. This is a rule of destiny. We've been separated from Eve for almost eight years now. Do you think she is permanently cut off? Do you?!"

"N-no. No, Mother, I don't," Adam relented. He was still confused, but he didn't want to upset his mother any more than she already was.

But then she suddenly calmed down and continued, "You won't need to know about Pumpkin for many years to come. But, I've prepared something for you. It will tell you everything you need to know about my Pumpkin. You'll know everything you need to know and everything you need to do when that package is delivered to you. Years from now, I'm going to be speaking to your present from your past, telling you how you will shape the future. Isn't that delightful?"

Adam asked, "Mother, please. I don't understand. When are you sending me this package about Pumpkin? When am I going to have to carry out this assignment?"

To Adam's astonishment, his mother casually replied, "The stars and the planets will align. Fate has already determined the moment. You'll receive the package on your ninetieth birthday."

Adam stared at his mother, who regarded him calmly. He now was revisiting the notion that the pain drugs were ravaging his mother's brain. But then she gave him that look that terrified him, even when it was directed at others. The look said, "Don't you dare fucking patronize me or I'll personally rip off your balls and hand them to you."

Young Adam liked his balls, so he changed his demeanor and resumed engaging his mother as if everything she was telling him was indeed going to happen. He asked, averting his eyes somewhat, like a wolf pup facing the pack alpha, "With respect, Mother, how will whoever is delivering the package know how to find me? How do you know I'll even be alive to see age ninety? I am … fighting in a war right now."

Adam's mother smirked just a little. She replied, "Artists live on through their works. Scientists live on through their inventions. The rich live on through their money. I'm no artist and I hate science. Thank god I'm rich. I've arranged my affairs with a trustee corporation. Corporations are interesting things, Adam. They're the closest things humans have to immortality. They continue on long after we die. Corporations exist to move money back and forth in perpetuity, which makes money our god if you think about it. But that's another subject. Don't you worry, Adam. The corporation will find you, wherever you are. And you _will _live to be ninety years old. I know you will, because I know your destiny."

So here he was. It was his ninetieth birthday. Adam Hobbes was sitting on his leather sofa, sipping grade A Cognac and rifling through papers he hadn't thought about in years, as he waited for the mysterious package from his mother to arrive. _Mother, you were right again. But when were you not?_

Hobbes chuckled to himself as he flipped through a photo album, pausing occasionally to take in memories of a far distant past. He smiled as he glanced over younger versions of himself, and one photo in particular captured his gaze. "_There it is!" _he thought to himself as he regarded a beach scene caught on a brilliant, sunny day.

Hobbes checked his watch again as he pulled the photograph from its confines and held it with a strong but slightly shaky hand. Trembling, wrinkled fingers caressed the image of a beautiful blonde woman wearing an audaciously red swimsuit. The woman was early forties, and stunning both in terms of her physical beauty and the irreverence that beamed from her visage, even in the aged, slightly yellowish picture.

The photo captured a time when women, most women that is, weren't permitted to be irreverent. Hobbes noted the men in the background admiring the blonde. A few of them looked a bit judgmental. His mother was giving a look that said she knew those men were glaring at her and she didn't give a fuck. Hobbes mused aloud, "You always were a pistol, Mother."

The beautiful blonde embraced a handsome little boy, an eight-year-old Adam Hobbes. The little blonde boy and his mother both smiled for the photographer as the wind whipped through their hair. Hobbes's twin sister played in the sand nearby, so engrossed in her building project that she wasn't paying attention to anything around her. The year was 1928. His mother was forty-two years old.

Hobbes noted that while one of his mother's arms was wrapped casually around him, the other arm reached to her right. Hobbes had seen this photo too many times to count. But today, he noticed for the first time the hand that lingered possessively over the arm of the photo's other subject - _Pumpkin_. Hobbes raised his eyeglasses to allow his nearsighted vision to take in more of the details.

The arm being caressed … _hmm, possessed … yes, that's it …possessed _by his mother belonged to a swarthy, tragically handsome young soldier. In fact, Pumpkin the soldier was more … beautiful, than handsome. "_Today they would call it metrosexual,"_ Hobbes mused. "_Whatever that means."_

But as Hobbes took in the photo of his mother and the handsome … no, _beautiful_, soldier, he now understood exactly what the term _metrosexual _meant. Hobbes studied the soldier's close-cropped hair and piercing eyes. Pumpkin was clean-shaven, average height for a man, and lean, but muscular. The photo wasn't in color, but Hobbes's memory easily filled in the soldier's jet-black hair and emerald green eyes. _Pumpkin looks … familiar. I've seen someone who looks very much like Pumpkin. Someone who reminded me of him. Recently. But who? Where?_

The soldier had been a constant part of Hobbes's life to that point since he was born, and an inseparable companion of his mother. Hobbes's father was much older than his mother, and had died when he and his twin sister were less than two years old. Hobbes had thought of this soldier as his father until his mother sent him and his sister away to boarding school at age fourteen. Then suddenly, Pumpkin wasn't around anymore, and his mother had refused to answer any questions about the soldier's abrupt disappearance.

Looking back, Hobbes didn't know exactly why he thought of the soldier as his father. He was somewhat comforting and very protective, but he didn't talk very much. Nor was he particularly warm or playful. However, it was not unusual for men of that time to be distant and stoic, so Hobbes thought nothing of the soldier's aloofness.

Hobbes checked his watch and savored another sip of his Cognac. He was now fixated on the mysterious soldier, mostly because his mother had told him all those many years ago that the package he would be receiving this afternoon would tell him everything he needed to know about Pumpkin. _Her _Pumpkin. That package was also going to task him with helping his mother's beloved soldier boy.

Suddenly Hobbes frowned, confused. He had been so distraught at the time she was dying that he didn't think to ask his mother, but now considering his own advanced age he wondered. In the photo of the beach scene, he was eight-years-old, and Pumpkin had to be from his looks at least late twenties, early thirties. This would make Pumpkin more than one hundred years old now. _If he was even still alive._

Maybe his mother had meant for Adam to help Pumpkin in some kind of symbolic way, a visit to his grave, perhaps. But Hobbes knew his mother well. She was direct and rarely spoke euphemistically; and she definitely made it clear that Pumpkin would be very much alive and need saving in some tangible sense of the word.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to Adam. The thought was shaped by the new reality he now found himself living in since vampires had revealed themselves. _Maybe Pumpkin isn't human, and therefore he could easily be well over one hundred years old._ Hobbes peered at the photo with new interest, hoping somehow to see some hint of the inhuman in the pensive soldier. There wasn't any.

Pumpkin the soldier was a man who had been such a fixture in Hobbes's life, but in many ways he was like a shadow, always sliding in and out of a scene, always standing in the background of his mother's radiating light. Yet in his own way, Pumpkin stood out, both because of his perpetually somber, tortured expression, and the way he dressed.

The photo of the beach scene was typical of both Pumpkin's mood and dress. The soldier wore black slacks and a white shirt, kind of like the ensemble Hobbes was wearing at the moment. Perhaps Hobbes had subconsciously thought of this photo when he dressed himself to receive his mother's special delivery.

Pumpkin had worn this outfit to the beach on an extremely hot, sunny day. Hobbes remembered that the soldier was always either dressed in his uniform or somewhat dressy attire. Hobbes knew many men who considered a tie and dress shoes as a kind of torture; but Pumpkin wore them as if they gave him some kind of pleasure. It was a testament to the love Pumpkin held for Adam's mother that she and only she could talk him into _any_ kind of informality when it came to his clothing.

Pumpkin's concessions to his mother's urgings to relax and enjoy the beach were an unbuttoned collar and bare feet, which in the picture were nestled in the sand. Hobbes suddenly recalled an image of his mother undoing Pumpkin's shoes and pulling off his socks, pulling (and caressing) fleeing feet while at the same time pushing away (and caressing) the soldier's resistant hands. Despite himself, Hobbes blushed at the memory. Reflecting on it with the wisdom of being an old man, Adam could now see how erotically charged the relationship was between his mother and Pumpkin.

The simple act of his mother unbuttoning her soldier's shirt and pulling off his shoes and socks on a public beach looked quite innocent at the time, but as an adult Adam saw the gestures as intensely sensual. It was like … foreplay. Hobbes felt his cheeks redden and changed the subject being considered in his own mind. _There's only so much a son needs to know about his own mother. _

Hobbes resumed studying the photo. Pumpkin reclined on his elbows, leaning slightly into Hobbes's mother, as if he was trying to literally soak up her energy and mirth. He was always serious, unsmiling, and … sad. Always very sad. Hobbes studied Pumpkin's pensive gaze looking back at him from 1928. The photographer had asked him to smile, and this was the best Pumpkin had to offer. It wasn't much.

Hobbes couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this face recently. The time and place were just out of his mental reach. His mind flashed snippets of emerald green eyes and jet-black hair, the same jaw line and muscular body in a soldier's uniform. But the pensive face had been masked by … a smile. The person who reminded Hobbes of Pumpkin was happy, and nothing like the brooding, dark soldier from his youth.

The doorbell snatched Hobbes from his memories of Pumpkin, and his quest to retrieve from his mind's eye the identity of the face that had recently reminded Adam of his mother's soldier boy lover. Adam looked out of his window, and saw a courier's car parked outside. His heart raced, because he was sure it was his mother's package. He had been waiting for this package for sixty-six years.

Adam stepped out of the front door of his first floor apartment and found a man dressed in a black business suit. The man was white, and to Adam's surprise, middle-aged, with touches of gray dispersed throughout his brown hair. He was fit except for a little pudginess around the waist that likely came from doing desk work all day. The man said in a professional tenor, "Are you General Adam Hobbes?"

Hobbes tried to create a bit of moisture in his dry mouth as he said, "Y'yes, I am."

The man frowned as he said, "It's a pleasure, General Hobbes. I'm from the trust company. I have a package for you from … your, uhm … mother, Helena Hobbes."

Adam nodded absently as he signed the necessary releases. He said, "Yes, Helena Hobbes. That's my mother. Thank you."

The man started to leave, but couldn't resist the insistence of his curiosity. He tried to sound casual as he asked, "How is this possible?" The man saw Hobbes's annoyed expression and stopped himself. He put up an apologetic hand and said, "I'm sorry, Sir. Please don't be offended. It's just that … I've never delivered a package from a mother to someone your age. It is a little unusual, don't you think?"

Adam Hobbes smiled mischievously. He gave the same mischievous smile that had so often adorned his mother's face, as he stepped back inside his apartment.

The old general said to the man, who looked both curious and confused, "If you had had the pleasure of knowing Helena Hobbes, you'd know this isn't unusual for her at all." And with that he shut the door.

**# # # # #**

**_Sonoran Desert – Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_Kara Fears Being Tortured by Her Family_**

General Helena Wolfe held her star recruit, Colonel Kara Wellington, in her arms. She squeezed her tightly as she tried to process the fears that Kara had just confessed about her mother and her aunts possibly harming her. The alpha wolf was also trying to process the sudden, somewhat startling realization that she had decided that Kara was her daughter, and all that this meant. In fact, the realization of her affections shouldn't have been surprising at all, since the decision to love Kara been made in Helena's heart long ago. Today was simply the day that she accepted that truth in the forefront of her mind.

After several quiet minutes of just holding the trembling lioness, Helena gently pushed Kara back so that she could look into her light green eyes.

She asked, trying to sound calm and measured, even though her heart was racing, "Why do you think your mother and your aunts will try to hurt you?"

Kara's eyes widened in mortification, as she suddenly remembered that she had rubbed noses and cheeks with her boss. Even though she knew Helena was much more to her than just a manager and the feeling was mutual, Kara had never behaved in such an unprofessional manner before.

Kara tried to pull away from Helena's embrace, as she said, "Oh my god, Helena. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm just … stressed, I guess. This is … weird. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

But Helena steadfastly held Kara in her arms and reassured her, "I'm not uncomfortable, and you shouldn't be, either. Kara, we both confirmed to the HR Director yesterday that you're basically my daughter and we love each other. So I think any effort to follow official protocols, whatever that means, is pointless now. You and I are … family."

Kara tried pulling away for just a minute more, then she relented and once again allowed herself to take comfort in the safety of Helena's strong arms. The alpha wolf sent a wave of protection and warmth into Kara.

Helena rocked back and forth slightly and waited until she heard Kara purring softly, which she took as a sign that the lioness had calmed down.

Helena asked again, "Kara, why do you think your mother and your aunts will try to hurt you. Please. You can trust me."

Kara considered what she would say, then whispered as her head lay on Helena's shoulder, "They're going to hurt me as part of the … process of making me Queen."

Helena frowned and asked, "Is that what they told you?"

Kara's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to figure out how to explain what she meant to Helena. "No, they haven't told me very much about anything. But I'm pretty sure that my mother isn't going to just toast me and pass me a crown."

Helena gently pushed Kara back so that she could look at her. She asked, "Okay, maybe not. But how do you bridge the gap between they're not going to just have a dinner and pass you a crown on the one hand, and torture on the other? That's a big leap."

Kara explained, a little frantic, "I bridged the gap with the bits and pieces of information I've put together from different family members. My Aunt Constance. My grandfather. A little from my aunts and extended family. And the things I've read about my family history. My mother and aunts aren't what they seem to be."

Helena quirked a brow and asked, "They're not extremely rich, spoiled Werelionesses who sit around the pool all day drinking cocktails?"

Helena was being slightly facetious, but Kara took the question seriously and shook her head. _No_. "That's just the image they present. They've been so powerful for so long that they don't have to do much of anything at this point. I'm talking about how they came to be so powerful. They acquired power through … alliances; dark alliances, or deals where they owe things for what they've been given. And magic, maybe."

Helena frowned, trying to understand what Kara was telling her. She asked, "Are you saying that your mother and aunts made a deal with the devil?"

Kara, nonplussed, replied, "No. I'm saying over many thousands of years they've made deals with several devils. And those devils expect to be paid for the gifts they've given to them. My fear is that those debts will be passed on to me as the future queen."

Helena shook her head and asked, "What kinds of debts, Kara. I'm sure this all makes sense to you, but you'll have to say it plainly. I don't under-"

Kara interjected, "Rituals. That's … part of it. They engage in rituals, and it's through these rituals that power is passed down from one generation to the next. From one queen to the next. And these rituals involve giving and receiving … pain. And sex. They involve a sacrifice of some kind. I can't just be given the title of queen and the power that comes with that. I have to make a sacrifice for it."

"Like a fraternity or sorority?" Helena asked, musing aloud as if she was starting to understand what Kara was telling her.

Kara nodded, "In a sense, yes. I guess. But … it's more than that. It's not just beating me or inflicting pain in other ways. I could deal with that. It's _changing _me, turning me into a different person. I guess that's what I'm truly afraid of. I fear that whatever ritual they take me through will be very much about giving me … the mindset of a queen, as they see it. I'm afraid I won't be myself after this is all over. I'm afraid that I won't even remember the person I am right now. Do you understand what I'm saying, Helena? I'm not crazy."

Helena considered for a moment, then gave a tiny smile as she said, "I don't think you're crazy, Kara. In fact, I know you're not crazy. Torture … rituals involving pain … can change your personality. They can turn you into someone … into _something … _ you don't recognize. I know … I know what torture can do. It's well documented."

Helena was going to say "I know from personal experience," but she stopped herself. She paused for a moment, then asked, "Why do you think you don't have much time?"

Kara lit up a little, mostly because she felt she knew more about the answer to this question. "I'm almost positive that they're going to make me queen this weekend, as part of my birthday celebration."

Helena took her cue from Kara's confident answer. She asked, now sounding like the two of them were working out a problem together, "Your evidence?"

Kara knew this drill well. She listed her evidence. "I've got lots of evidence. First, family from all over the world have been pouring into town all week, some people I haven't seen since I was a small child. Our building and family residence is overrun with family members. This many people have never showed up for one of my birthdays before, so it must mean that there's something very special about this particular birthday.

Second, there's this … _anticipation … _in everyone's eyes – my mother and father and aunts, and the family members visiting from out of town. I can feel it in the air. It's like they all know something big is going to happen, but no one is telling me.

Third, it's these little things they say. My mother's been telling me that she can't wait to see how I'll handle this or that situation when I'm queen. She says it sometimes, but for the past month she's been saying it all the time. My aunts have been talking about going on extended travels for months on end, which they could only be planning if they know they're not going to be part of the ruling pride. They've never before taken any kind of extended vacation. They can't because we have family businesses to run. So I'm guessing they're planning for when me and my pride take over those businesses, and they know it's scheduled to happen soon.

Fourth, I'm turning twenty-nine on Sunday. I've checked back on the reign of every queen all the way to the very first Kara Wellington. Not a single one of them came to power when she was thirty or older. I'm the oldest one not to be conferred. My mother became queen on her twenty-fifth birthday.

Fifth, I've overheard conversations between my mother and my aunts, and between my mother and my grandmother. Some of those conversations were more like arguments."

"Arguments about what?" Helena interjected.

Kara continued, "Arguments about me, and why so much time has passed and yet my mother hasn't transferred power to me. My mother resisted the suggestions that she should have done it sooner. She said something like she wanted me to have as much time as she could give to me.

Finally, I've overheard conversations in which my mother said she waited to transfer power to me because I'm the fiftieth queen and … hmmm, there's too much at stake. Destiny is at stake. She wanted me to be ready to obtain the most gifts when I'm made queen. The more gifts I obtain, the stronger I will be and the more secure my reign will be. The whole discussion was about how I need to be strong enough to go through the ritual of becoming queen – at least that's what it sounded like. And my mother didn't think I was ready. Soon after that she sent me to work with you."

Helena frowned and asked, "Wait a minute. I thought you wanted a career in the Army before you became queen. I thought you wanted to … serve your country?"

Kara frowned and asked, "Is that what my mother told you?"

The look on Helena's face said "yes."

Kara continued, "No. I said I wanted to see the real world, whatever I thought that meant at the time. I was thinking of maybe going to Africa and working with Weres Without Borders … doing some kind of charitable mission. But my mother and my Aunt Angela … Aunt Angela is Jenna's mother and my mother's lieutenant, her closest advisor. They're bonded together, in every possible way."

Helena nodded, indicating that she understood Queen Arielle and Aunt Angela's relationship as Queen and Lieutenant.

Kara continued, "Well, the two of them have this way of steering me in the direction they want me to go, especially when it comes to something they really care about. I say I want to do something, and the two of them suggest over and over that maybe I want to do something different. They're relentless, and they offer as many supports as they need to offer in order to get me to agree with them. They do the whole thing so that it _looks _like I made the decision myself. I see what's going on, but I can't really do anything about it."

"And so is that what they did with you and the idea of joining the Army?" Helena asked.

Kara clarified, "Yes, and no. It wasn't just about me joining the Army. They wanted me to specifically work with you. _You and only you._"

Helena thought back to the phone conversation with Kara's mother back in 2009. Her android brain retrieved the data from its memory bank. Arielle had specifically said to Helena, "It seems my daughter Kara, the future Queen of the Wellington pride, wants to serve her country before undertaking her family responsibilities. I was reticent, but what can I do? Children want what they want, and we loving parents try to give it to them."

Helena pondered why Arielle and Angela would be so determined to have Kara come work with her specifically. She found it surprising at the time, since Arielle and Helena mutually disliked one another; but she was desperate and needed to hire three cats. But now she considered what kind of ulterior motive was at play when Arielle called her out of the blue. After several minutes, Helena conceded within herself that she had no idea what Arielle was up to. The whole thing disturbed her, but she didn't know yet what to do about it. She needed more information.

Helena asked Kara, "Do you know why your mother was so determined to have you work for me?"

Kara shook her head, "Not entirely. I think she wanted you to train me, to make me stronger. I think she wanted me as prepared as possible to be queen, and she thought you were uniquely qualified to help me to do that."

**_Mother Helena and Daughter Kara Discuss Some Embarrassing Subjects_**

Kara paused for a long moment, considering whether she should say the other thing that was on her mind. But Helena already could see from the look on Kara's face that the lioness had something else to say. The alpha wolf raised both eyebrows, indicating she was waiting for Kara to say the other thing.

Kara bit her lip, still considering what to say. But Helena's expectant expression told her that she needed to just say it. The lioness averted her eyes as she said, "And because she likes you."

Helena leaned in, trying to make sure she heard what she thought she heard. "What?"

Kara spoke up, more confidently, "I said that my mother also wanted me to work with you and only you because she likes you. She's … attracted to you."

Now it was the alpha wolf's turn to avert her eyes. Kara saw Helena's discomfort, but she decided to press forward. She had already said the unspoken thing, the elephant in the room. She needed Helena's help and she really believed time wasn't on her side. Now wasn't the time to be shy.

Kara paced in front of Helena. Then she said, "Look, Helena. I've never talked about the subject of you and my mother because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. But clearly you know that I'm aware of what happened between you and my mother, and my aunts. You … read my thoughts, and you referred to it in the torture simulation you wrote just for me."

Helena nodded, then chose her words carefully, "I did. I sometimes saw the … musings about … what happened … with me and your mother … in your thoughts. Your feelings about the … issue … are a powerful factor that could make you doubt me. I would have been doing a disservice to you if I didn't include it as a tool in the torture simulation. It needed to be addressed."

For a long moment, Helena and Kara regarded one another. Both looked as if they were unsure of what to say next. Then Helena explained, "I'm … I'm sorry, Kara. I don't know what to say. I've tried to never disavow anything I've done, even if the memory of it carries regrets. I … met your mother … and your aunts, long before I met you and-"

Kara shook her head and interjected, "You don't owe me an explanation, and you certainly don't owe me an apology, Helena. You and my mother and aunts are all consenting adults."

Helena stared at Kara, then said a little sheepishly, "It's … not how you might think …"

But Kara interjected with, "I'm sure it's not, because I don't spend copious amounts of time thinking about it. Have I thought about it? Yes, I can't avoid it. My aunts … talk about it too much. Look Helena, I've seen many kinds of … activities take place in my residence. I'll leave it at that. None of it makes me love my family any less. And what happened between you and my mother and aunts doesn't make me love you any less."

Helena asked, somewhat worried about what Kara might project, if not verbally, in her mind, "What about respect?"

Kara shook her head vociferously, "Of course I respect you. More than that, I look up to you. Why wouldn't I? You've never tried to be anything other than what you are. I admire that, actually. You didn't hurt anyone. You just had consensual sex."

Helena winced a little. She was trying to remain composed, but talking to Kara about sex, specifically the sex she'd had with Kara's mother and aunts, was getting really uncomfortable. She couldn't remember at the moment how they had gotten on this subject, but she desperately wanted to move away from it.

But Kara wasn't ready to move on from the topic. She needed Helena's help, and she needed her mentor and second mother to understand why she was uniquely qualified to give that help. And a big part of that had to do with the past sexual relationship between Helena and her mother.

Kara explained, sounding a little annoyed, "You know, people think that because I go to church and I … I don't know. People think that because of how I've chosen to live for now that I'm a prude. And worse, that I'm judgmental. I'm not. I see what my family is. I know the types of things they do. But, I can't do anything about it. I've tried to do what I can, but … my family has a way of life. It's rooted in a time that's … ancient. So ancient it looks nothing like the world we live in today. They don't follow the same rules or moral codes.

And I'm not prudish about sex. I've chosen to wait for sex and focus on other things while I can because I've seen enough to know there's probably lots of sex in my future, whether I want some of it or not."

Helena frowned, confused, and asked, "What do you mean when you say _whether you want it or not_?"

Kara easily answered, "I mean from what I can tell, the Queen's sex life isn't just about sex for … love. Sex means, and it's used for many different things. As Queen, I will sire one, probably several children. I plan and hope to do it with someone I love …"

Kara paused for a brief moment and thought about Quinn. She knew Helena had read her thoughts. Kara allowed it, but Helena didn't say anything. The lioness went on, "But siring children, particularly a daughter to be the next queen, is a sacred duty."

Kara continued, "There are ten Werelionesses in our pride. Each of us is pair bonded with one other lioness. I'm pair bonded with my lieutenant, Jenna. Part of that … pair bonding process is sex. Jenna and I don't have sex now. I've never had the desire to do that. But I believe that whatever changes happen to me after I'm made Queen will make me, if not want that, accept it."

Kara waited for some reaction from Helena, but the alpha wolf just listened. Helena's face gave no expression of judgment or shock.

Kara went on, "I will commune with all thirteen other members my pride, which is sex. I may even be expected to form political alliances, which for my mother sometimes involves sex. I'm saying now that I don't want those kinds of alliances for myself, but I'm also well aware that I don't know what I'll feel after I'm made Queen. Do you understand, Helena?"

Helena nodded and said, "Yes, I do. I'm sorry, Kara. I don't think you're prudish or judgmental. I know you're not. What you heard coming from me were my own fears. My questions are stemming from my worries about how … what happened with me and your mother makes you feel about me."

Kara frowned as if the question was silly. She said sincerely, "It doesn't make me feel anything about you. I formed my opinion of you by working with you and getting to know you. Everything I told Rachel Sullivan about you represents the culmination of my time working with you, and I meant every word of it."

Helena pressed, because she was a little disbelieving, "I just wondered whether … maybe your thoughts changed in some way after you found out about-"

Kara interrupted, "Helena, no. And … it sounds like you've got the wrong idea about when I knew about what happened. I didn't just find out about this after I came here. I knew about you and my mother and aunts long before I started working for you."

Helena couldn't hide the look of shock on her face. Kara explained, "My aunts have lots of time on their hands. They've had lots of time on their hands for a _looong _time. As I said, they don't hide their musings about having sex with you. They all think you're memorable, and quite impressive in terms of your sexual performance." Kara blushed, but she managed to add, "They talk about you … a lot. They have for years, ever since your time together in 2007."

Before Helena could catch herself, she asked, "And your mother?"

Kara noticed Helena's nervousness as she waited for the answer to that question. The lioness resisted the tiny smile threatening to curl up.

Kara replied, "Does my mother talk about you? No. She doesn't say anything about you in front of all of my aunts. She just sits and listens to them. Maybe she says something to Aunt Angela during pillow talk, but if she does that's their private time and I don't know about it."

Kara also noticed that Helena looked … sad … agitated, maybe … at the idea that the Queen Lioness didn't talk about her. But then Kara said, "So talk about you? No. But does she _think_ about you? Yes, she thinks about you _all the time_."

This clearly piqued the alpha wolf's interest. Helena asked, "How do you know that?"

Kara casually explained, "Because my mother and I share a very strong Were bond. I imagine it's very much like your bond with Quinn. I can sense her feelings and some of her thoughts, at least when she allows me to do so. And she has allowed me such access when it comes to some of what she feels and thinks about you."

Helena was quiet, but Kara could tell her general was paying very close attention to everything she was saying. She continued, "My mother pretends like whatever happened between the two of you was nothing. But like I said, I can sense her feelings and sometimes her thoughts, when she doesn't block me. She has … _feelings_ for you."

Helena wanted to ask what kind of feelings, but she kept quiet.

Kara sensed that Helena wanted to hear whatever else she had to say, so she went on, "My mother feels the same way about you that I feel about Quinn."

Kara had never expressly said how she felt about Quinn, but she knew Helena read her thoughts and knew exactly how the beautiful lioness felt about her son. Kara watched as Helena's eyes darted back and forth. The alpha wolf was clearly savoring and processing this information.

Kara tentatively added, "And I can tell that you feel the same way about my mother."

Helena suddenly looked up. She said, a little frantically, "Kara, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm married and your mother and father are-"

Kara placed a reassuring hand on Helena's arm and said, "Helena, please don't. I'm honestly not trying to freak you out. I'm also not saying that you and my mother are having an affair, or that you're doing anything to hurt your marriages. Look … you, General Afrida, General M, my mother and my aunts … you're all consenting adults. What … experiences you shared together … that's none of my business. I wouldn't be saying anything at all to you about this, except that I have my own selfish motives. And I'm desperate."

**_Kara Asks Helena For Help_**

Helena shook her head, trying to be rid of her embarrassment. She said, "I don't understand. Desperate for what?"

Kara replied, "I … I know my mother has delayed conferring power on me for a long time, and I'm thankful for that. But, I'm not ready. I want more time. I'm desperate for just a little more time to work here, to learn from … and to be with you. I know this has huge implications, with my family responsibilities and everything. But I also know that if you talk to her, my mother will listen to you. She'll listen to you and maybe … maybe let me stay with you a little longer because of how she feels about you."

Helena frowned, considering what Kara was asking her to do. She asked, "Kara, have you tried to talk to your mother about this? Maybe she would be responsive to your request on her own, without intervention on my part."

Kara shook her head, "I've broached the subject twice, not directly. But I've said enough for her to understand what I was leading up to asking. She was extremely resistant, and backed up by my Aunt Angela. My mother is hard and immovable when she's made up her mind about something."

**# # # # #**

_As Helena stood talking to Kara, an image flashed in her mind of her and Arielle Wellington in bed, making love. Their bodies were tangled together as they lay on their sides. They kissed each other … slow, deep involved kisses, their tongues exploring and savoring each other. Helena lay on her right side. She held Arielle's head with her right hand, while two fingers of her left hand thrusted slowly inside of the queen lioness._

_Arielle lay on her left side, facing Helena and writhing in rhythm with her thrusting fingers. The beautiful queen lioness held Helena in her arms, sometimes caressing up and down the alpha wolf's back and side, and then suddenly clinging to her as Helena's probing, exploring fingers elevated her arousal to an unexpectedly new height._

_Arielle whispered in between delving, wet kisses, "I love you."_

_Helena whispered back, "I love you, too."_

_Helena moved her lips from Arielle's mouth to the crook of her neck, where she licked and sucked until her fangs distended. She carefully, slowly penetrated the alpha lioness's skin and tasted her blood. The taste was complex and sweet._

_Helena felt a wave of arousal course through her as she remembered Arielle gripping her and pressing taught fingers into her back, moaning and purring deep in her throat. The alpha wolf also remembered the odd but deeply erotic sensation of Arielle's purring reverberating against her fangs as she sucked her blood._

**# # # # #**

The sudden, intense wave of arousal and the watering of her mouth shocked Helena out of the memories racing through her mind. She shook off the erotic images of her and Arielle and said to Kara, "Maybe you should be direct. I know your mother has a soft side. She can be … moved to change her mind."

Helena saw the look on Kara's face. Perhaps the cracking of her voice had given away the arousal she felt. Helena tried to cover it up by adding, "Uhm, most mothers have a soft side when it comes to their children."

If Kara detected Helena's arousal, she wisely didn't show it. She simply responded, "No, she won't have a soft side about this. This is about the future of the Wellington Pride. There's nothing more important to her. There's only one thing, one person, who might move her. And that's you."

Helena and Kara stared at each other, until Kara added a verbal plea to the plea that was coming from her eyes, "Please, Helena."

Helena sighed as she considered whether she would do what Kara was asking her to do. The fact was that Helena had already relented to Kara's pleas in her own mind. Now she was just figuring out the details of how she would talk to Arielle. If she was going to speak with Arielle about such an important subject as delaying the reign of the 50th queen of the Wellington family pride, that conversation was best had in person.

Helena told herself that she didn't look forward to the prospect of interacting with Arielle Wellington in a face-to-face encounter. As she had many times in the past when her thoughts focused on Arielle, the alpha wolf lied to herself about her feelings for the current queen of the Wellington family pride. She told herself that she wished to avoid seeing Arielle because the queen lioness was irrevocably evil. Helena pretended to herself that she feared Arielle's evil ways would somehow rub off on her during even the briefest interaction.

But not so deep below the surface, Helena felt the beginnings of anticipation. The bubbling arousal and excitement stemmed from the unknown possibilities as she wondered what a face-to-face meeting with Arielle would be like. Helena and Arielle hadn't seen each other in person since they spent their long erotic weekend together back in 2007. But just speaking with her over the phone back in 2009 had done unspeakable things to Helena's body, particularly her lower abdomen and the bundle of nerves between her legs. Helena now had an excuse, not of her own making, to pay a visit to the Wellington residence. In truth, she wanted to see Arielle in person again, very much.

Helena gave voice to her decision, "Okay, okay. I'll go visit your mother and talk to her about the possibility of you working with me for a bit longer, maybe another year." Helena frowned a warning when she saw the hopeful excitement brimming in Kara's eyes. "Calm down. I'm not making any promises. I _can't _make you any promises. Your family's politics are beyond the scope of my knowledge. Ultimately, the decision is up to your mother."

Kara wasn't deterred by Helena's warning. She was nervously bouncing just a little as she said, "Oh Helena, thank you. I can't thank you enough. I know you can only do so much, but I'm thankful you're willing to try."

Kara suddenly turned serious, and Helena tilted her head, trying to figure out why. Kara warned, "I don't want you to do anything more than talk to my mother. If she gets … angry, just drop it. Please. My mother is … dangerous."

Helena wanted to laugh, but she resisted the urge. She boasted a little, "I'm not afraid of your mother. I'm fine with talking with her, Kara."

Kara paced the floor, which seemed to be her habit when she had something unsettling on her mind. Helena, recognizing the pattern, waited patiently for the Werelioness to speak. Finally, Kara said, "I know why you think you don't have to be afraid of my mother. Because you _think _you won a fight against her."

Helena was surprised, but she shook it off, because it was silly. Kara had already made it clear that she had known about the sex between Helena and Arielle for years. Why should it be surprising that she also knew the details that led up to the sex? But she was very curious about Kara's choice of words, which suggested that Helena hadn't really bested Arielle in the impromptu fight that led to Helena gaining dominance over the queen lioness.

Helena asked, "What do you mean? I _think _I won the fight?"

Kara replied without hesitation, "I'm referring to the fight you engaged in with my mother to determine who would be … dominant … and who would be submissive."

Helena blushed. Why oh why did she ever ask the question? She wondered this as she felt the waves of embarrassment flow through her.

Helena pushed her bouts of shame aside and said, "Okay. Well that … fight … went on for hours, and eventually Arielle tired out and … I won."

Kara shook her head, "No, maybe you _could_ have won. But you didn't really win because my mother stopped fighting. She let you win."

Helena looked off at nothing, frowning. Then her eyes returned to meet Kara's gaze. She asked the question, but her heart was already racing a little at the prospect of the answer, "Why would Arielle let me win such a contest?"

Kara answered confidently, "Because she was just testing you. She wanted to see a glimpse of who you were, and once she saw what she wanted to see she stopped fighting and submitted to you."

Helena asked, feeling a little nervous, "Why would your mother want to submit to me?"

Kara again answered easily, "Because, as I already told you, she's very attracted to you. She was attracted to you from the moment she laid eyes on you, but she needed you to prove yourself. You did by the way that you fought her. She'll always pretend to be pissed off by things that you did, but my mother loves your bravado. She loves your audacity. How you don't fear her and you just do what you want."

Helena's heart was beating rapidly. She pressed for more information, "I'm sorry, Kara. That just sounds wrong to me. I grate your mother's nerves. She detests me. Why would she want to …submit to me?" Just saying those words made Helena aroused.

"My mother doesn't detest you. She has feelings for you," Kara replied. "And she wanted to submit to you because it would give her a brief escape from her life. My mother spends every waking hour making decisions and having thousands of other people look to her for guidance. An entire kingdom rests on her shoulders. You were the first person she ever met who made her feel like you could take care of her and-"

This information both exhilarated Helena and made her uneasy. She objected, "Kara, I hope you understand that that's not going to happen. Your mother is married and so am I. So-"

Kara interjected, "I know that, Helena. I'm not saying it's something my mother … or you, would ever act on. I'm just talking about that time, the one time you two were … together. I'm just explaining that when she met you, my mother was intrigued by the _idea_ that you could take care of her, make her feel safe, take control and allow her to relax. She believed she could trust you completely to do all those things. And that's why she wanted to submit to you. I'm saying that she allowed you to win the fight once she had decided those things about you. The sooner she stopped fighting with you, the sooner the two of you could … move on to other things."

Kara's face turned a deep shade of red, and she avoided eye contact with Helena. For her part, the alpha wolf was reeling in a sea of complex emotions. On the one hand Helena was uneasy about the idea that Arielle had orchestrated their sexual encounter, especially since Helena had always believed she gained the upper hand on the queen lioness in a contest of wills that led to her sexual conquest.

But Helena was even more freaked out by the idea that their sex was really lovemaking, and that Arielle had longed for it out of … attraction for her. But if Helena was being truthful with herself, and she wasn't, Kara was giving voice to things Helena had long believed deep down, but denied in the forefront of her mind.

Helena was caught up in her thoughts about her encounter with Arielle, until she saw Kara staring at her. She searched for something to say, then ultimately decided to just be honest. She said, a little sheepishly, "Thank you for … telling me all this. I'm glad we've finally talked about it. I've wanted to for some time, but I didn't know how to broach it with you."

Kara nodded and said, "I've felt the same way, Helena. I wanted to somehow tell you that … that it doesn't change anything I feel about you. I love and respect you."

This made Helena smile, because she could feel the genuineness of the words. She didn't need to search Kara's thoughts to know the truth of what she was saying.

The alpha wolf joked, "So I guess your fearless general has to accept that she didn't best a certain manicured lioness in mortal combat."

Kara took Helena's cue and lightened the mood with, "Well, what made you think you could beat a lioness so easily?"

Helena laughed and said, "Easily? Your mother and I fought for hours. The only breaks we took were for her to fluff her hair."

Helena flicked her hair and fluffed it, making fun of Arielle.

Kara shoved Helena playfully, "Hey, don't talk about my Mom. And don't let the manicured nails and the perfect hair fool you. Lionesses are-"

Helena finished for Kara, "Bad as bitches … BABs … I know."

Kara quirked an eyebrow in surprise and asked, "How do you know that?"

Helena smiled and said, "I learned it from Jenna. BABs is just one of many new phrases she taught me."

Kara nodded and said, "I see. I'm sure she enjoyed teaching you. She'd enjoy doing lots of other things with you, too."

Helena's eyes widened and she blushed. She said, "You don't say. You're batting a thousand when it comes to making your general uncomfortable today."

Kara said between chuckles, "I'm sorry, Helena. I'm not trying to do that. I'm really not. But Jenna and I are pair bonded, so I know her thoughts. They're not PG-rated most of the time, but especially not when it comes to her teacher fantasies about you."

Helena laughed now as she joked, "I'm not ashamed to say that Jenna is one BAB that scares this alpha wolf. I just have to … run."

Kara giggled out, "Careful, Jenna has a few fantasies where you run. You don't want to know what happens when she catches you."

Helena and Kara were both laughing uncontrollably at this point. Helena eventually calmed down and said, "Well, I'm just going to avoid all engagements with your family from now on, okay. I've bested much older opponents. But based on what you just told me, I'm going to accept that I didn't truly win against your mother."

**_Kara Tells Helena Some Wellington Family Secrets_**

Kara turned serious and said, "I doubt you've fought an opponent as old as my mother and my aunts, Helena. In fact, my mother's age is what makes me think my becoming queen is going to involve some kind of torture ritual."

Helena frowned and asked, "Well, how old is your mother?"

Kara pondered and said, "No one has ever told me exactly, but from the things they say my guess is that she and my aunts are thousands of years old."

Helena asked, "How many thousands? Two? Three?"

Kara shook her head and said, "More like ten, at least."

Helena looked visibly shocked. She thought that her vampire father was ancient at more than 2,000 years old. The Man From Dallas also told Helena that Sonja Braga, the vampire witch who is helping both her fathers prepare for a great war involving supernaturals and humans, is probably at least 6,000 years old. Braga's age seemed that much more incredible. Helena couldn't begin to fathom living for 10,000 years. But then she thought of Afrida, who based on what Helena now knew was … immortal.

Kara saw Helena's shocked look and explained, "My mother and my aunts sit around the pool reminiscing about the good old days, which for them was a time they refer to as the "Golden Age," the "Leonian Age," the "Astrological Age of Leo," a time when lions were worshipped as gods. People supposedly worshipped them because Planet Earth was influenced by the constellation of Leo.

During that time, other gods communed with lions. Like, they all literally walked around being worshipped, vying for the attentions of worshipers. These different gods formed alliances in an attempt to gain control and power in the hearts of devotees. I think that it was through some of these alliances that my mother and aunts acquired … powers."

Helena tried to process what Kara was telling her. She asked, "What kind of powers?"

Kara puzzled over the question, then said, "I'm not completely sure. I'm positive that my mother and aunts have abilities they've never shown me. They don't really have to use all their powers. My mother's reign has been peaceful for a long time. My family doesn't have any overt enemies.

I know that my Aunt Angela can divine the future, and she can … work magic. I've seen her do that. My Aunt Eleanor can fly. I caught her floating toward the ceiling to hang a painting high on the wall. She dropped to the floor when she realized I had walked in the room. I've seen my Aunt Felicia move objects with her mind. One time she almost spilled her cocktail, but she stopped it from falling by just looking at it. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, until Aunt Angela gave Felicia this disapproving look. And then Felicia looked at me in this way like … like she had forgotten she wasn't supposed to do that."

Helena looked worried, because it sounded like what Kara was saying could be true. She asked, "Okay. But even if your mother and aunts are many thousands of years old and they have certain powers, why does their age make you so sure that they'll torture you to make you queen?"

Kara explained, a bit of fear returning to her eyes, "Because their way of seeing the world is shaped by the time period in which they were born. When they talk about how they grew up, nothing sounds familiar to me. They were born during a time when religious worship and blood sacrifices were normal. Such sacrifices were … expected; and if you didn't do them, bad omens would hang over your dynasty and ultimately signal your downfall. Violence and death were a part of everyday existence. And magic, including sex magic, was a tool used by rulers to secure and maintain power. Do you think I'm crazy for worrying about this, Helena?"

Helena shook her head, "No, I don't." She considered for a moment, then added sternly, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, Kara. And that includes your family."

Kara frantically objected, "No, Helena. Please don't … intervene in this. I'm asking … I'm begging you not to do that."

"Why not?" Helena asked, still not deterred.

Kara explained, "Because you'd be trying to fight against fifty generations … fifty long generations of tradition and power. My entire family is invested in that tradition and power. They won't allow anyone to interfere with it. They will kill to protect it. Look, I know my fate. I've known it since I was a child, and … I accept it. I really do. It may even be an opportunity for me to do some good. It will be my kingdom, and I plan to rule in the way that I see best.

I just want your help with two things. I want to stay here and work for you for just a little longer. I just want a little more time in this life before I start my new one. And I want you to help me prepare for whatever is going to happen to me when I'm made queen. I want to be strong enough for when I come face to face with … the truth about my family, whatever that is. So please, Helena. Just help me with those two things. Don't, try to fight my battles for me or try to save me."

Helena took a deep breath. She could feel the fear and worry gripping her, permeating her pores. But she looked at Kara, who seemed afraid but ready to face those fears. The alpha wolf sighed, "Okay. Okay. I'll … pay a visit to see your mother tomorrow."

Kara took in a deep breath and exhaled a tiny, hopeful smile. She said, "Thank you, Helena. Thank you. If my mother refuses to give me more time, don't … push her. I'll accept whatever she decides after you talk to her. The thing I'm most worried about is what's going to happen when I'm made queen. But with help from you and my Aunt Constance, I know I'll be okay. My Aunt Constance is who made me start thinking more about my family … who they are. _Who they really are. _And what may be in store for me when I'm made queen."

Kara suddenly put her hands on her hips and adopted a neck roll and an inflection that made Helena think the lioness was imitating a black female comedian.

Kara mused, "Aunt Constance is always telling me … _Listen my little princess, you betta get yo head outta cat church and let that Catholic vampire priest do his thang without you. You don't need no more church right now. You is pretty. You is kind. You is smart. You is important. What more you need to know? This family of ours is a straight up trip. And you about to be the queen bitch in charge. You need to be prepared to come face to face with all these ruthless bitches. You need to see them for who they are before it's too late. It's time for you to turn around, put your feet back on the ground, and find out what's goin' down." _

Kara stopped talking when she saw Helena's face, which looked like she was about to burst into laughter. Helena asked, "Your Aunt Constance said that?" Kara nodded. "_Your Aunt Constance Wellington_ said what you just said, just like that?"

Kara giggled and said, "Yes. That's how she talks. Everyone loves her. She's like a celebrity when she comes to visit our residence, and my aunts and cousins always try to keep her with us as much as possible." Kara sounded like herself again.

"Who's Aunt Constance?" Helena asked. "I thought I … met all nine of your aunts back in 2007. But I didn't meet anyone that sounded like that. I'm positive I would have remembered her if I had." Helena had done much more than _meet _Kara's aunts, but she definitely didn't want to return to that subject.

Kara smiled and said, "Hmm, no. Constance wouldn't have been at that party you went to back in 2007. That's not her thing. She's … different. Very different. She's my favorite aunt, mostly because she does exactly what she wants to do, even if it doesn't fit with Wellington family tradition. I hope to be like her when I'm queen."

Helena observed, "Your Aunt Constance sounds … impressive. And interesting."

**_Adonis Wellington?_**

Kara agreed, "She most definitely is both those things. I'm sure you're going to meet her, and you'll like her a lot. She doesn't live with her pride at our family residence. She lives in Harlem. She's got her own family and a son, my cousin Donald. We call him Donnie. Oh, and Aunt Constance is like you. She has more than one spouse."

Helena quirked a brow and asked, "Constance has a husband and a wife?"

Kara giggled a little and shook her head, "No, actually, she's got you beat. She's got _two _husbands, Carlos and Han; and a wife, Sheetal."

Helena was quiet as she processed the idea of a family of four spouses and a child. Helena was curious, and asked, "So how does that work? I mean … I thought all your aunts are married to Assad, and they're each pair bonded with another lioness. Doesn't that make your Aunt Constance the odd lioness out. She doesn't have another lioness to be pair bonded with. And how is she married to Assad if she's got three other spouses?"

Kara explained, "Well, you're right. She's not pair bonded with any one lioness, but my aunts worked that out. They decided that she can fulfill her duties to the pride by, uhm, being with all of my aunts. They all want to share her, but Constance isn't having it. She tells them, _you bitches need to leave me and my privates alone_. _Cause this ain't Roots, and I ain't no goddamn belly warmer._"

Kara giggled and blushed at the same time, which made Helena understand that the lioness was saying Aunt Constance didn't primarily have sex with one particular aunt, but rather she was expected to sleep with all of them. Kara was getting amusement out of Helena's reaction to her imitation of Aunt Constance.

Kara went on, "Then Constance's husband, Uncle Carlos, says "_Yes, Connie baby. I think it dangerous for you wit dese pussy beetches. They always trying to take your privacies. You pussy beetches need to leave my Connie baby's privacies alone."_

Helena giggled at Kara's impersonation of her Uncle Carlos, which came complete with changes in inflection, facial expressions and mannerisms.

Kara was on a roll. She suddenly turned serious as she said, "Then Constance's other husband, Uncle Han says, _"Yes, Connie. I agree with Carlos regarding this issue. It does seem that your sisters are just pursuing your private parts. It does not appear that they see and value you as an individual. They're only focusing on your parts. You should tell them you are more than the sum of your parts."_

Helena's eyes widened in amusement. Kara seemed to be delivering her imitation of Uncle Han with a slight Korean accent, and depicting his mannerisms as somewhat shamanistic. For some reason, Kara's impersonation of Uncle Han made Helena think of a kung fu master in a martial arts movie.

Finally Kara said, "And then my Aunt Sheetal says, "_I agree with Carlos and Han, Connie. This is not an acceptable situation for you and your privacies. Your sisters should value your being, which includes your karmic energies." _

Helena laughed again, as Kara's imitation of Sheetal caused the lioness to abruptly morph into an Indian accent.

Helena chuckled and said, "I take it from your impressions of them that Carlos, Han and Sheetal are multiethnic?

Kara nodded, "Yes. Uncle Carlos is Mexican. Or I should say, he's from what later became Mexico. Uncle Han is from Korea. And my Aunt Sheetal is from India. So yes, Constance's family is very multiethnic, and they make fun of each other a lot."

Helena asked, "And they don't mind Constance's … marriage to your Dad?"

Kara explained, "Maybe a little, but not really. The marriage between my Mom and Dad is what matters most. His other marriages to my aunts are ceremonial, to legitimate the children. My aunts' only real duty is to sire at least one daughter with my Dad. They can have their own separate relationships, as long as those relationships don't interfere with their duties to the pride. Besides, my Aunt Constance and my Dad can't conceive children, so her only duty is to occasionally sleep with him. My Dad's not overly sexual, so that's not hard."

Helena was confused. She objected, "Wait. I don't understand. I thought you said that your Aunt Constance has a son, Donald, or … Donnie. Did she get pregnant by one of her other husbands? Carlos? Or Han?"

Kara smiled a little because she understood why Helena was confused. The lioness smirked like she knew a secret little joke that she was keeping to herself.

Kara explained, a little mirthfully, "No, I'm sorry, Helena. I see you are confused. Constance didn't give birth to Donnie. She … I guess the most accurate way to put it is that she adopted him? He fell on her one day."

Helena asked in visible surprise, "What? He fell on her?"

Kara replied, "Okay, I know it sounds crazy. And most of my family thinks Constance is crazy when she tells the story of how she came to have Donnie as her son. But she says that Donnie _fell _on her. He literally fell out of the sky."

Helena immediately thought of how Afrida had literally fallen into her life. She felt her mouth go dry as she said, "That sounds like an incredible story. Did Constance tell you anything else about how Donnie came to her?"

Kara didn't seem to notice Helena's sudden rapt attention to the story of Aunt Constance and her son Donnie. Or if she did notice, perhaps she thought Helena's intense interest was due to the story being so unbelievable. Kara had no idea how much Helena _did_ in fact believe this story, and that the alpha wolf's belief stemmed from the fact that she had her own beloved family member who had come to her, by literally falling from the sky.

Kara said, "Aunt Constance swears that she prayed and prayed to be like so many other women and have a child. She said she prayed for a child, even though she knew it would be impossible for her to conceive and give birth to one. But nothing is impossible for the Cat Gods, or maybe the Catholic God – we go to both churches, so I don't know which God answered Aunt Constance's prayers. Anyway, nothing is impossible for whatever God, because one day she was just walking along and something fell on her and literally knocked her unconscious.

She says that when she woke up, she opened her eyes and there were these beautiful pair of dark green eyes staring back at her. Just staring. And those beautiful eyes belonged to this boy with the most stunningly beautiful face she had ever seen in her life. She says Donnie looked so beautiful that it was like he radiated light. She couldn't take her eyes away from him."

Helena's heart raced. She asked, "How does …? How does Donnie look to you?"

Kara said, "Well, to be honest, I don't know. I've seen his face maybe once or twice, but just for a brief moment. Donald wears a cap a lot, and he always wears dark sunglasses, even inside the house. What I can see of his face is gorgeous, so I don't understand why he hides it. Aunt Constance thinks something really traumatic happened to him before he came to her, and he has some kind of a complex about his looks because of whatever that was. Donnie doesn't like to talk about his looks, and he never really lets anyone fully see his face, except for his parents, and Jenna."

Helena asked, "Jenna? Why only Jenna?"

Kara said, "Because Donnie and Jenna … like each other."

Helena tried to control her facial expression. She didn't want Kara to see the worry snaking its way through her body. She asked, "I'm just trying to picture him. What color is Donnie's hair?"

Kara said, "It's curly and red. No, it looks auburn, or maybe cinnamon. That's the closest I can come to a description. It's really not like any color of hair I've ever seen on anyone else. It's the most beautiful hair I've ever seen, which is saying a lot since everyone in my family has stunning hair. Jenna says that the combination of Donald's hair and his eyes is just … captivating. She could just sit and stare at him for hours on end. But Donnie gets really bothered by that kind of attention over his looks, so Jenna keeps how she feels when she looks at him to herself."

Helena puzzled, "I thought Jenna was engaged to Brad."

Kara smiled and said, "She is, technically. But that's a … political marriage. She and Brad aren't in love. Besides, Brad is gay."

**_Kara Verbally Confesses Her Love For Quinn_**

This time Helena couldn't hide her shock. Before Helena could say anything, Kara added, "I'm … technically engaged, also … to Brad's brother, Bruce. But I've already told my mother I'm not marrying him."

Helena stammered, "What!? I – I didn't know you were engaged."

Kara saw Helena's concern and immediately sought to clarify, "I am, but I'm not. My mother and aunts put together this alliance between our family and the Baxters. This marriage was arranged before I was even born. But I'm not marrying Bruce. I don't even like him, let alone love him. And when I get married, I hope it will be Qu- …." Kara caught herself and said, "someone I love. It's going to be someone I love."

Kara corrected herself, but Helena had already read her thoughts. The alpha wolf did so deliberately, because she needed to know what this arranged engagement meant for her son. Even though Helena knew how Kara felt about Quinn, she hadn't anticipated their relationship needing to overcome yet another obstacle - a scorned suitor.

What if this Bruce Baxter insisted he had a right to marry Kara? How would the Wellingtons react to Kara choosing her own boyfriend? Her own husband? This all sounded like a situation fraught with the promise of a fight, or at least major conflicts, all involving her son.

Kara watched as Helena's facial expression reflected all of these worries. The lioness paced for a moment, then decided she'd come this far with the open, honest conversation. So why not go for broke.

Kara confessed, "Helena, I've introduced several delicate topics that made you blush today. So now it's my turn to be open and a little uncomfortable. I love Quinn. I want … to be with him. You know that, so I shouldn't be afraid to say it out loud. It's just, a little weird for me to be saying it to you first, when I haven't even told Quinn how I feel."

Kara suddenly panicked a little, as she processed that she had just verbally confessed her love to the mother of the man she'd been dreaming about and longing for since she first met him. She wanted to talk to Helena about her feelings, but she didn't want her to tell Quinn. She pleaded, "I'm talking to you about this, Helena. I want to, but please don't tell Quinn I'm in love with him."

Helena smiled. She thought Kara looked cute. She touched Kara's arm and looked at her sincerely as she said, "Don't worry, Kara. I've known that you're in love with Quinn for a long time. I've never said anything to him and I won't."

Kara looked like she was brimming to say something. She saw Helena raise her eyebrows expectantly, and decided in the moment that she could tell her. She tentatively eased out, "I-I guess you know that Quinn and I are going out tomorrow night. It's our first date."

Helena smiled and said, "Yes, I know."

Kara was encouraged by Helena's positive reaction. She added, "And he's going to come visit me on Saturday, too. He's coming over to our family residence. He said he couldn't wait to be with me, and he wants to spend time alone. He said he has something to ask me. I … think maybe he's going to ask me to be his girlfriend."

Helena could tell that Kara was searching her face and demeanor, hoping to see some indication of whether she was right about Quinn's intentions. Despite herself, Helena frowned at the thought of Quinn wanting to spend time alone with Kara.

Kara was puzzled by Helena's seemingly negative reaction, which she assumed was about the idea of she and Quinn being boyfriend and girlfriend. She sounded a little anxious as she said, "That's not exactly the reaction I expected. Do you … have an issue with Quinn and I dating each other?"

Helena smiled nervously, but shook her head emphatically to indicate that wasn't what she was thinking. Now she was wondering what she should say, but she knew by the slightly hurt way Kara was looking at her that she needed to say something.

Finally Helena said, "Look, Kara, I'm ... I'm struggling here. I love you and obviously I love my son. And I'm thinking about Afrida, who tells me I'm too controlling and … involved with Quinn's life. And I can see myself easily becoming too involved in your life. So I'm trying to balance all of that."

Kara frowned and said, "I don't know what that means, Helena."

Helena sighed and said, "Look, I'm not trying to … interfere with you and Quinn's relationship. And I know you're not a prudish person. But I'm just concerned about if …," Helena paused to figure out the most judicious way to say it. "Sometimes when a man and a woman start dating, they have different ideas about what that will mean. Sometimes the woman wants to go slower than the man. _You _may want to go slower than Quinn … when it comes to certain things."

Kara thought about it for a minute, then blushed. She now understood what Helena was worried about. She looked relieved. She said, "You mean sex? You think Quinn will want to move faster than I do when it comes to sex."

Helena sighed again. That wasn't exactly what she was worried about. But how could she say it without seeming like she was interfering, or painting some negative picture of Quinn before he got the chance to present himself to Kara?

Helena clarified, "I'm saying something slightly different, Kara. Quinn's going through a lot of … changes right now. Changes that may affect his hormones and … uhm, his ability to control himself. I just want you to be prepared for that. I want you to be okay with … doing only what you want to do, when you want to do it. Even if, Quinn is … aggressive about his desires."

Kara frowned and asked, "What do you mean aggressive?"

Helena didn't know quite how much to say about that. She thought about what to say that wouldn't feel like a betrayal of Quinn. God, she hated being an empath when it came to seeing Quinn and Kara's thoughts about each other.

But before Helena could say something else, Kara said, "I think I understand, Helena. You want me to be prepared that if Quinn and I are alone together he might want to be … affectionate. Maybe more affectionate than I anticipated. Okay. But I don't think Quinn would ever do anything to intentionally hurt me."

Kara thought for a moment. Helena read Kara's thoughts. Her mini-me was weighing the concerns about a certain overly amorous tiger, but then she thought of Quinn's biggest smile, the one where his dimples almost showed.

The thought warmed the lioness, and then she said, "And if … he did do … something … Well, he wouldn't mean it and I … we would work through it. Don't worry."

But this way of thinking on Kara's part was precisely what Helena was worried about. The alpha wolf was feeling that familiar queasiness in her stomach again.

Kara saw that Helena's concern hadn't diminished. She tried to reassure her, "Helena, I understand what you're telling me, and I appreciate it. I quite frankly don't know what I want. I haven't gotten past my excitement about just going on a first date with Quinn. But I promise that I will be mindful. I promise to be clear with Quinn about … what I want and when I want it. Please don't worry. I can take care of myself."

Helena nodded and put on a good face. But she could read Kara's thoughts about the matter, and what she saw still scared her. She could have said more to Kara, but she kept hearing a voice in her head that sounded like Afrida. The voice was telling her to stay the hell out of Quinn and Kara's relationship and let them figure things out for themselves. Helena's thoughts created a moment of silence.

To Helena's surprise, Kara interrupted that silence with, "Helena, can I ask you something? Does General Afrida … dislike me?"

Helena looks genuinely taken aback. She shook her head emphatically and said, "No. Why would you ever think that?"

Kara took a deep breath and said, "Well, you and I have a great relationship, obviously. And General M is always extremely warm when we see each other. But General Afrida … well, she's pleasant for sure. But she's never warm. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I worry that she just doesn't like me for some reason."

Helena frowned, wondering how honest she should be regarding Afrida's feelings about religiosity. She weighed everything and erred on the side closer to honesty. "No, I've spoken with Afrida about you, and Quinn. She plainly stated that although she doesn't know you that well, she likes you. Afrida is, how do I put this? She's a little cynical when it comes to religion and … God. If you're picking up anything from her it's a strong aversion to the kinds of spiritual topics you and I like to discuss. Once the two of you have a chance to spend some time together, you'll get to know each other better and everything will be fine. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Helena suddenly asked about a subject that had been on her mind ever since she learned the surprising information about Kara's engagement. "And Bruce, your fiancé? Should I be worried about him? Should I be worried for Quinn? Your family has planned for you and Bruce to-"

Kara resolutely shook her head and said, "No. My general taught me that if someone gives me power and that power truly belongs to me, then no one except me can wield that power. That rule applies to everyone, including the person who gave me the power in the first place. I'm going to be Queen of the Wellington Family Pride; and as Queen I, and I alone, will decide who I will marry. And anyone who tries to defy my wishes or make me do anything I don't want to do will soon become very, very sorry."

To Helena's surprise, Kara growled as she said these words. Kara rarely growled about anything, and this particular growl sounded feral. Helena's eyes widened as she took in the menacing glare in Kara's eyes. For the briefest moment, she looked like the fiery queen she was going to become, and the image was frightening. Helena's mini-me looked angry, unafraid, and ruthless.

The alpha wolf saw snippets of the thoughts running through Kara's mind. There was an image of Kara holding Quinn tightly. The two of them were standing in a white room, dressed in all white. They were surrounded by Kara's mother and aunts, and several blonde Werelions Helena didn't recognize. The blondes resembled Brad Baxter, so Helena assumed they were members of the Baxter family. Helena saw permutations of these people trying to pull Quinn and Kara apart. The next image in Kara's mind was of that same white room, only now it was empty. Rich, red blood ran down the walls, first in trickles, then in streams. Some of it soaked Kara, and a few flecks adorned Quinn, smearing the white outfits they both wore.

The thought of that bloody white room gave Kara … pleasure. Helena swallowed the lump in her throat. And she suddenly remembered Afrida's observations about Kara and what she was bred to become. She remembered Afrida warning her that maybe she shouldn't be so concerned that Quinn would hurt Kara. Maybe she should be concerned about her son's safety in this relationship. She suddenly remembered that Kara's father, Assad Wellington, was a sadist; and she noticed for the first time that Kara had his eyes.

Before Helena's mind could run too far with the fears that were steadily creeping around her head and tightening like a vise, Kara smiled and that menacing look disappeared. Helena looked at her mini-me, and she couldn't help the love she felt for her. Helena decided that Kara was like Quinn. Yes, she was born with these … urges. And maybe those urges were primal and strong; but they could be controlled. Helena would help her mini-me harness her raw, feral nature. Just as she would help Quinn.

Helena and Kara regarded each other. They had just talked about more things, more deeply personal things, than they ever had in Kara's entire time working at the Sonoran Army Base. They both felt measurably closer to one another. So much so that Kara easily went back into Helena's arms, which automatically opened to receive her.

Kara laid her head on Helena's shoulder as Helena stroked her hair. The lioness purred. She whispered, "Sometimes, I fantasize that I could … that I could just be with Quinn. That I'm someone different, and Quinn and I could just … be together. I'd still have my family and I'd still be a Wellington, but maybe a distant cousin; and not the daughter of the Queen. That way I could live with Quinn, and you, and General M, and General Afrida. And I could just work here with you, like Quinn does. And we could all be … a family. And that could be my life. It sounds like the perfect life, actually."

Helena heard the longing and sadness in Kara's voice. It made her grip the lioness even tighter. She kissed Kara's forehead and rocked her in her arms. Helena's eyes darted back and forth, as she admitted to herself that she wouldn't mind if it were possible for Kara and Quinn to just be together and be with her and M and Afrida all the time.

Helena's mind created a flash of an image of Kara and Quinn married and living with her and M and Afrida in their New York apartment. She quickly shook off the thought. It was silly and unrealistic. That wasn't Kara's life. That wasn't _going_ to be Kara's life.

**_Helena Teaches Kara How to Survive Torture_**

Kara interrupted Helena's musings with words tinged with resignation, "But my destiny is to be Queen of the Wellington Family Pride. And that transfer of power is probably going to happen this weekend. And I need to face that. And part of facing that is accepting that, by today's standards, my family can be ruthless, sadistic and dark. And I don't know what it will feel like to come face to face with that. But I want to be as prepared for it as possible. Can you please, put me back into the torture chamber?"

Helena hugged Kara for several minutes more. She then sighed, the sound conveying her consent to go forward with Kara's request. She gently pushed Kara away from her, but she still stroked her face.

The alpha wolf went into "General Helena" mode as she instructed, "For the victim of torture, the experience is like … facing evil … darkness, and your worst fears. Most times, this is more terrifying than the physical pain, because it digs into the core of your being. I often wonder why evil exists. But I suppose it exists so that we can struggle with it, and appreciate goodness. Darkness helps us appreciate light.

But in the moment, when you as the victim are experiencing excruciating pain and humiliation at the hands of one … or more … torturers, this idea of evil and darkness being ultimately good will just be religious semantics. It likely won't help you get through the experience, because those concepts are rooted in faith. And what do you do if your faith is shattered?

Does that mean you don't pray? No, you can pray. But you have to treat it as a meditative exercise. You can talk to God, but you can't have any expectation that God will talk back. You're just praying to give your mind a task. You're talking to keep yourself centered, to keep from going mad. Ultimately, you're praying to something within yourself, if that makes sense.

Do you prepare to die? Yes, in the sense that you make peace with yourself. You make peace with your life. You prepare on a spiritual level to die, but then you put that aside and you fight to live. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but that's what you have to do.

Maybe you think to yourself, 'I'm prepared to die, but I can always die tomorrow. But I've decided not to die today. Today I've decided to live.'

Or, if what you're going through is really, really bad, so terrible that your mind wants to just give up … you say, 'Maybe I die during the next hour, but not this hour. This hour I'm going to live.'

You may not think that you have any power in the situation, but you do. You actually have an amazing amount of power. The key is knowing where that power lies. It lies within yourself. For example, if someone gives you rules and they actually follow those rules, take them and gain power from them.

Sometimes a rule will be given to you through actions and not words. For example, maybe you notice that one of your torturers is fond of choking, but he never does it for more than one minute. You can test it to see if it is a reliable rule. This gives your mind something to do. And if it turns out to be a reliable rule, by noticing it you've given yourself some power, and a way to get through that less than one minute of choking without losing your mind.

But here's the tricky part. Use the rule, but never depend on it, because it can be violated at any moment. Never trust anything or anyone you can't control, because it can all be changed. The time of day you're tortured, who will torture you, how they will torture you, when they will stop … none of this is in your control, and so you don't worry about it. You take it in only for the purpose of understanding it and gaining whatever internal power you can. You take it in because it is knowledge, and knowledge is power.

Keep your mind in the moment. Focus on a point on the ceiling or a wall. Let the experience wash over you, but don't let it consume you. It's like a rushing river. Brace yourself and let it wash over you. Try changing that river of pain in your mind so that it feels like something pleasant. Maybe it's a warm soothing caress, and not nails being driven through your hand.

If being in the moment gets too hard, then go away. But keep your mind with you at all times. Imagine you are a bird and spread your wings. Listen to your own voice calling you in the far off distance and fly toward that sound.

Don't let your mood change based on external influences. If someone comforts you, don't get excited about it. If someone punches you, don't get dejected. Stay centered and calm. Take in the valley lows and the highest mountains. Take them in exactly the same way. They both feel great. Imagine pleasant images, fields and fountains.

Remember, stay centered and inside your self. And inside yourself there's no religion. But there's also no fear. You've made peace with yourself. You've prepared to die, and you know your body will give out when it can't take anymore. And the people torturing you, they can only do so much, because their power isn't absolute. So you have no reason to be afraid."

Kara focused intently on Helena's words. She looked like she was in a trance.

Helena continued in a soothing voice, "Be aware of time if you sense that there's a limit to a particular torture session, but remember that's just information to keep your mind busy. Inside yourself, time stands still.

Don't focus on time, or on anyone, or anything outside yourself. Be aware of it, but don't focus on it. Focus only on the light that's inside you. That light will shine through the darkness of what your body and mind are experiencing. That light is going to shelter your heart when it feels stormy inside. See it. Believe it. Use that light to prepare for the fall, because you will fall. You will have times when the pain seems like it's too much to bear, and you want to give up.

And that's when you'll focus on that light inside your own mind. It's so bright it turns the darkness into light, and allows you to see what's in your own mind. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of the darkness in your own mind, or in your own heart. Shine that inner light on the darkness. Even if the whole world falls apart, it doesn't matter. Because that light will transform the darkness, and the darkness will turn into light."

Helena stared into Kara's eyes for several minutes and caressed her face. She didn't stop comforting her mini-me until she sensed that Kara was completely relaxed and unafraid.

Then finally, Helena said, "Okay, I think you're ready. Let's begin."

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_General's Lounge_**

**_Quinn Gets Unexpected Advice from Dodson, Hammer and Cavanaugh_**

Quinn strolled down one of the Sonoran base's ubiquitous white/gray hallways. General M had asked him to deliver some files to General Hammer. Hammer wasn't in his work area, so Quinn had left the files with one of Hammer's colonels, and was now returning to his own work area. Quinn heard laughter as he approached a room. It was one of several Generals' Lounges that were scattered throughout the base.

General Carl Dodson was approaching from the opposite direction, carrying his briefcase. He signaled for Quinn to stop as they both neared the entrance to the lounge. The stumpy, slightly balding general grabbed Quinn's arm and led him inside. Generals Frank Hammer and James Cavanaugh were already stationed on two weathered leather sofas, smoking cigars and drinking. The room reeked of grain alcohol and tobacco.

Hammer and Cavanaugh looked up when Dodson and Quinn entered the room. Dodson quipped, "Look who I found sauntering down the hall. Kilroy's here."

Quinn growled at Dodson, "My name is Quinn. Stop calling me Kilroy."

Dodson took an exaggerated step back in reaction to Quinn's menacing demeanor.

Hammer remarked, "Well, well. Better be careful, Dodson. Quinn Tiger looks like he wants to take a bite out of you. That's new and different."

Cavanaugh rolled his eyes. He knew Dodson and Hammer were about to get started with their idea of fun, all at Quinn's expense.

Cavanaugh sipped his gin and tonic, and casually remarked, "Gentlemen, a man can be a little new and different. There's no problem with that."

Dodson agreed, looking very bemused, "Of course not, James. There's no problem with it at all if a man wants to change. And Kil-" Quinn growled, prompting Dodson to correct himself, "Quinn Tiger here is looking very _manly. _You know how you can tell when a young man is ready to play the rebel? He grows himself some extra hair. I know it's hard to tell from looking at me now, but there was a time when I had some shoulder length locks, kind of like yours Quinn."

Hammer asked, "Say, Quinn. We're just hanging out until it's time to head out. A bunch of us soldiers are going to _Juicy Lucy's Big Bush Club_ to celebrate General Hobbes' birthday. Wanna come along?"

Dodson teased, "Your favorite dancer Destiny might be there. I'll buy you a lap dance."

Quinn didn't know where this conversation was leading, but he was ready to leave. He said, "No thanks. Look, I have to get back to work, so-"

Hammer interrupted Quinn, "Not so fast, son. Stay for a quick chat. Have a drink and a smoke. Grow a little more hair on your chest. It's called networking. Didn't your father and mothers teach you that a young colonel such as yourself should make some time to suck up to a general every now and again."

Before Quinn could decide what to do, Dodson pushed him onto a couch and poured him a drink.

Hammer observed, "You're looking a little different these days, Quinn. What's going on? Anything new?"

Dodson handed Quinn a gin and tonic, heavy on the gin, and joked, "What Frank really wants to know is whether you've taken one of those mom tits out of your mouth long enough to suck on a different titty, one that doesn't belong to a relative."

Quinn didn't say anything, but he was stewing on the inside.

Dodson saw the stewing and kept at it, "So, how's your beta wolf father and bitch mothers? Have Helena and Afrida finally succeeded in completely removing what's left of your father's balls, or-"

Quinn sped toward Dodson in the blink of an eye and pinned him to the edge of Hammer's sofa. Dodson's eyes darted back and forth. He sucked air as Quinn's large, strong hand gripped his throat.

The alpha tiger growled, "Don't talk about my mothers."

Cavanaugh whistled, clearly impressed and enjoying Dodson's comeuppance.

Hammer leaned over and looked down at Dodson. He laughed and mused like a Cheshire cat, "I told you to be careful, Carl. But you never listen. Never ever talk about a man's mother. Or, in Quinn's case, his _mothers._ If you do, then you deserve the ass whipping that comes to you."

Hammer turned to Quinn and said, "Listen, Quinn. I agree with your show of force on this matter, and I think I speak for General Cavanaugh, as well when I say that we'd like nothing more than to see you choke the shit out of Carl for his bitchassness."

Cavanaugh grunted in amused agreement that … yes, he'd also like to see Quinn choke the shit out of General Carl Dodson. Dodson knew Hammer and Cavanaugh were joking, but he was still looking a little panicky.

Cavanaugh said cheerily, "Quinn, I feel I should mention to you that technically you are doing bodily harm to your superior officer. General Dodson could have you written up for this if he wanted to do it."

Quinn looked a little panicked, but didn't release Dodson.

Hammer noted, "But Carl won't write you up because he knows you get what comes to you when you bad mouth a man's mother. He asked for an ass whipping when he opened his mouth about Helena and Afrida. But Quinn … I'm sure if you could find it in your heart to forgive General Dodson and release his throat, he will apologize right away for daring to insult your mothers. Then we can all move on. Let's have a drink and a smoke. What do you say?"

Quinn growled and held onto Dodson for a long minute more. Then he abruptly released him. Dodson gasped for air as he rubbed his bruised and reddened neck.

Cavanaugh sipped his cocktail and looked at Dodson. He muttered into the glass, "Well, Carl. Quinn Tiger is waiting."

Dodson straightened himself up, still rubbing his neck. He said, feigning an air of deep regret, "I'm truly sorry, Quinn. Truly. I was just joking, but I should never have insulted your beautiful, wonderful mothers."

Dodson looked like he might choke on the last part of his apology. Quinn didn't say anything, but he sat back down. He sipped some of his cocktail, which he had been steadily holding the whole time he was choking Dodson.

Hammer quipped, "Now Quinn's a real man, Dodson. He was choking your ass with one hand, and he never dropped his fucking cocktail."

Dodson finished making a drink for himself and took a seat. He said to Quinn, "Indeed, but no harm done. It's just that … well, you never used to get upset at those kinds of jokes, Quinn. You never seemed to notice before."

"Well, I do now," Quinn said in his deep bass voice.

Cavanaugh frowned and said, "Hmm, and your voice has changed, Quinn. It's deeper, and different. Sounds nice. You've got a general's voice, son. I see it in your future."

Quinn couldn't help the bit of pride that flowed through him upon hearing these words from Cavanaugh, even though on some level he sensed it was so much bullshit. He did want to be a general one day, like his father and mothers. And he didn't exactly dislike Cavanaugh, despite his association with Hammer and Dodson, who he hated immensely.

Hammer asked cautiously, "So has anything else changed, Quinn?"

"Like what?" Quinn asked. He took another sip of his cocktail, and tried not to wince as the bitter alcohol burned his throat. The alpha tiger sensed that it wouldn't be manly to grimace at the taste of alcohol in front of Dodson, Cavanaugh and Hammer.

Dodson leaned forward conspiratorially. He was giddy and couldn't help himself. He said, "Like pussy? Have you gotten any pussy, Quinn? That usually happens soon after a man's voice changes and he grows out his hair. And if it doesn't, it should."

Cavanaugh tried to help Quinn out by saying, "Bullshit, Carl. A boy's voice changes at around thirteen years old. Your ass wasn't getting pussy at thirteen. You weren't even fingering or sniffing pussy at that age. Leave the boy alone."

But Hammer, as always, backed Dodson up. He said, "Well, I got my first pussy at fifteen. It was real nice, too. A little slut named Sarah. God she was wonderful. And besides, Quinn isn't a human boy and he isn't a teenager. He's a grown man tiger."

Dodson nodded, and then added, "Exactly. So, as I was asking … Have you gotten any pussy, Quinn?"

When Quinn didn't say anything, Dodson soothed, "It's okay, Kil - … I mean, Quinn. We're all men in here. And besides, we're all rooting for you. We want you to get pussy, and lots of it. If anyone deserves lots of pussy, it's you, man. You've waited a long ass time."

Hammer quipped, "Exactly. A long ass time for some ass." He and Dodson laughed.

Cavanaugh rolled his eyes and went to pour himself another drink. He returned and gave Quinn a lit cigar as he took his seat. Quinn sucked on the cigar for a moment, then hacked and coughed. Dodson and Hammer laughed.

Cavanaugh intoned, "Listen, Quinn … ignore these two fuckers. They're born assholes. You'll find a nice girl soon enough and the two of you will-"

Hammer cut off Cavanaugh, "Oh for fuck's sake, James. You sound like one of his mothers. I mean, what the fuck? Quinn needs to sow his oats, not find some woman who wants to trap him in some suburban hell before he even gets to lay a little pipe."

Dodson asked, "Speaking of which, have your parents given you any advice on girls, Quinn? What did they tell you about … dating?"

Quinn knew the answer to this question, because Afrida had just hammered it home, with Skittles, no less. "No mean no. Always, no means no."

Dodson was the one rolling his eyes now. He complained, "Well, Quinn. You need to understand that all mothers tell their sons that bull-"

To Dodson and Cavanaugh's surprise, Hammer interjected and seemed to agree with the advice of Quinn's mothers. He overrode Dodson and said, "Yes, mothers tell their sons that 'No means no," and they are _absolutely _right. Your mothers are absolutely right, Quinn. When a woman tells you no, she means it."

There was a pregnant silence as both Dodson and Cavanaugh looked at Hammer with shocked looks on their faces. Dodson almost looked betrayed, but Hammer could tell that unlike before, Quinn was listening to him, which is exactly what he wanted.

Hammer explained, "Your mothers are right, Quinn. But see, here's the thing. You, as the man, still have to determine when a woman's no means no and when a woman's no means yes. Did your mothers explain to you that sometimes no means yes?"

Quinn shook his head and answered, "My mothers said no always means no."

Hammer smiled and said, "Yes, a real no always means no. Always. But some nos are pretend nos. They're not real nos. They're really yesses. And as the man, you have to learn how to figure it all out. Women expect you to figure it out."

Quinn asked, "They do?"

Hammer said emphatically, "Well, hell yeah. Your ability to get a girlfriend and pussy depends on you being able to figure it out. Did your parents explain the difference between real nos and fake nos?"

Quinn looked confused. He shook his head slowly as he tried to understand what Hammer was telling him. Dodson sat back when he heard Hammer continue with his advice, because he now knew that Hammer hadn't suddenly changed up on him.

Hammer went on, "Okay, well I'm sure your mother Helena has told you that what something looks like on the outside often has nothing to do with what it's really like on the inside. Has she taught you that?"

Hammer knew full well that Helena had taught Quinn that lesson. He had heard her say that to Quinn many times.

Quinn nodded in agreement. Helena had told him that many times. He remembered that his mother and General M had used Pam and Ginger as an example of this principle. It looks on the outside like Pam hates Ginger, but on the inside Pam really loves her.

Hammer saw the look of recognition in Quinn's yes, so he kept going, "Well, that's how it is with women and the word 'no.' You see, Quinn, women unfortunately are socialized to deny that they want sex. So most women aren't going to just walk up to you and say, 'Fuck me tiger. Fuck me hard and fuck me faster.' They just can't do that."

Dodson leaned in and whispered to Quinn, "But if you meet one who does say that, thank your lucky stars and fuck her before she changes her mind."

Hammer continued, "So because women, at least ones who want to be seen as morally upstanding, can't just say right out they want to fuck, they send the man signals. And it's up to you as the man to figure it out."

Quinn pondered this and asked, "What kinds of signals?"

Hammer explained, "They flirt with you. They rub their hands on your chest or up and down your arms. They give you this look that makes your dick jump. You'll know it when it happens to you, trust me."

Dodson lamented to Quinn, "It would be nice if you weren't such a goddamn bitch cat and we had a real example to work with. That would help you understand what Frank is trying to tell you."

Cavanaugh asked, "Do you, Quinn? Is there a young lady that you're interested in being with? You know, someone you'd like to be your … girlfriend?"

Quinn studied Cavanaugh. His question seemed laced with kindness. But then he looked at Dodson and Hammer, who looked like they were on the verge of guffawing.

Quinn ignored Dodson and Hammer and focused on Cavanaugh. He tentatively replied, "Yes, I guess so. I want Kara Wellington to be my girlfriend."

Dodson and Hammer looked momentarily shocked.

Dodson stuttered, "Wh-who the hell is that? Does she work on the base? She has to work here right?" Then to Quinn, "Because your bitch cat ass never fucking goes anywhere else where you could meet a woman."

Hammer puzzled, then a light went off in his head. He proclaimed, "Yes, Carl. Yes! Kara. Kara Wellington. She's that lioness who … oh for fuck's sake!"

Dodson asked excitedly, "What? What is it, Frank?"

Dodson watched as Hammer pursed his lip in disgust.

Hammer took a sip of his cocktail and then explained, "Kara Wellington is that lioness colonel on Helena's team, the one who everyone is talking about because she was in command of Team MSIG 2 and stopped all those missiles from getting out of our airspace during the earthquake."

Hammer waited for Dodson to process.

Dodson eventually asked, "Wait. You mean the girl who looks exactly like Helena and walks around with her like the two of them are joined at the hip?"

Hammer nodded, his lips still slightly pursed in disgust. He confirmed, "Thaaaattt's the one. That's the very one."

Dodson asked, getting more incredulous, "You mean the girl that people refer to as Helena's mini-me or some shit?"

Hammer nodded vigorously as he nursed his drink, "You got it, Carl, my boy. I mean, goddamn. Quinn, you're outgunned on a fucking level you don't even realize by those mothers of yours. For fuck's sake!"

Cavanaugh simply sat and smiled as if he knew an inside joke. Quinn looked from Dodson to Hammer, waiting for someone to explain to him what was so tragic about him wanting Kara Wellington to be his girlfriend.

Hammer thought for a moment, then said to Quinn, "This is difficult. How do I explain this in a way that you will understand?"

Quinn easily replied, "When someone thinks something is too hard to explain, the best thing to do usually is just explain it."

Dodson smiled at Quinn and said, "You are so much Helena's child, aren't you, bitch cat? You even talk like her. That's why it's going to be so much fun to watch this situation play itself out. The writing is on the wall."

Quinn was getting pissed. He growled, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Hammer patted Quinn on the arm, trying to calm him down. The alpha tiger jerked his arm out of reach, but he stayed put and listened.

Hammer explained, "It's Freudian, Quinn. What's about to happen to you is Freudian."

Quinn frowned, not understanding what the hell Hammer was talking about.

Dodson interjected, "What Frank means is that you think you want Kara Wellington to be your girlfriend, but she's not a real girlfriend, Quinn. She's just an extension of your mother, Helena."

Quinn objected, "No, she's not. Kara is …Kara."

Dodson shook his head and said, "No, Quinn. No. Let's back up, shall we? For almost, what, seventy-five years, you've been underneath Helena's coattails. You live with her. You work with her. You spend most of your free time doing something with her. Now you weren't fucking her, but she gave you a good enough substitute."

"What's that?" Quinn asked.

Dodson replied, "The mom tit. It's symbolic, but it's also very powerful and real. Helena gives you just enough attention and physical contact to … soothe you."

Hammer asked, "And in you and Helena's case, don't you share some kind of … psychic connection, or something like that?"

"A Were bond," Quinn agreed.

"Yeah, that bonded shit," Hammer echoed. "That's fucked up on an entirely different level. Because if I understand it right, your mother is inside you and you're inside your mother. When you eat, she shits? Am I right?"

Quinn replied slowly, "It's … something like that, I guess."

Dodson leered and asked, debauchery spewing off him, "Say, wait a minute. If your bond with your mother works like that, then does that mean you feel what she feels?"

Without thinking about it, Quinn nodded. _Yes._

Dodson exclaimed, "Holy fucking shit, then! Wait, so that means … you can feel what it's like when your mother is fucking your father?"

"And Afrida," Hammer added, looking aroused at the thought.

Quinn sized up Hammer and Dodson's reactions, and he didn't like them. He also caught a glimpse of Cavanaugh subtly shaking his head, telling Quinn not to go down this road with Hammer and Dodson. So Tiger Quinn just sat quietly.

But Dodson and Hammer knew enough already, and they were undeterred.

Dodson giggled out, "Yes. Yes. He can feel it when his mother fucks. He just doesn't want to say it."

Hammer sat back and swigged his cocktail. His mind raced as he tried to fathom what it must feel like to experience your own mother's fucking. He was particularly intrigued by the idea of being able to experience first hand Helena and _Afrida _fucking. He wished Quinn would share the details, but he knew from the bitch cat tiger's stance that he wasn't going to do that. His prurient need made Hammer test the waters anyway.

Hammer asked hopefully, "So, wait … just … I can't even. Wait. So, Quinn … When Helena and Afrida are together … fucking, can you feel it when Helena touches Afrida's breasts? Does it feel like _you're _touching Afrida's breasts? Or eating her pussy? Do you feel like it's you _eating _Afrida's pussy?"

Quinn deliberately looked away and didn't say anything, but his fidgeting gave away the answer. Cavanaugh saw Quinn Tiger's discomfort and helped him out a bit. He reminded, "Well, gentlemen, also remember that if what you're saying is true, then that also means Quinn can feel what it's like when Helena is fucking M. He knows what it feels like to be pounded by M's big dick. What do you gentlemen think about that?"

"I don't," Hammer groused.

Hammer and Dodson suddenly looked nauseous. They absolutely didn't want to mentally picture what it would be like to share the experience of Helena being sexually pounded by General M.

Hammer got up to fix himself another cocktail. He glared at Cavanaugh on his way to the bar, indicating his extreme displeasure at having his Helena and Afrida lesbian sex fantasy disintegrated by the mental image of something as disgusting and faggoty as being on the receiving end of a dick pounding.

Dodson returned to the issue at hand, "Anyway, I didn't see it before, Quinn; but now I understand. No wonder you haven't had any incentive to separate from your mothers for so long. You don't just have a mom tit in your mouth …"

"Two mom titties," Hammer injected, returning to his sofa.

Dodson corrected, "Two sets of mom titties, yes. But on top of all that, you also get to fuck through your mother, and some of it is hot lesbo fucking at that. And wait … oh my god, this is good. Your connection is with Helena, and she's the butch one when they're together, right? You're feeling what Helena's feeling and she's the man when she and Afrida fuck, right?"

Quinn didn't say anything, but Hammer answered, "Carl, do you really need to ask?"

Dodson marveled, "Well, fuck me! If I had something like that I'd never leave my goddamn house. I'd barely eat or sleep. It's a miracle you get any work done at all, Kil- … Quinn."

Hammer said, "But here you are, Quinn. You've managed somehow to break free from all of that … two sets of mom titties and shared lesbian fucking … and who are you pursuing for a girlfriend?

Dodson interjected, "A girl who looks almost exactly like your mother, who works on her team and emulates everything about her. You're not flying free from the nest, Quinn. You're still fucking your mother, just one step removed."

Quinn frowned and asked, "How is Kara one step removed from my mother?"

Hammer explained, "You see, son, when you have a domineering mother like yours, and add to that the fact that the two of you are literally joined together through this … Were bond, it's going to be hard for you to grow up and be a man. And part of the reason why it's going to be hard is because your mother isn't going to want to let you go. In fact, she's going to resist letting you go at every turn."

Dodson added, "Until she finally realizes that you are going to fly the coop, and then she will reluctantly move to Plan B."

Quinn asked, "What's Plan B?"

Dodson said, "Plan B gets implemented when your mother accepts that you are finally, at long last, going to remove her mom tit from your mouth and get some real pussy. She'll know it's time to start working on Plan B when the cold air hits her tit."

Quinn frowned, "Why will cold air hit my mother's … breast?"

Hammer interjected, "Because normally she knows when the tit is coming out of your mouth because she's the one putting it in and taking it out. But that first time you get enough nerve to finally pop that tit out of your mouth yourself, it will be a shock to her. The cold air on her tit will surprise her because she won't be expecting it."

General Cavanaugh saw that Quinn still didn't understand the analogy, so he made it plain. "Quinn, what Carl and Frank are saying is that at some point you will develop an interest in having a girlfriend … in having sex. This means that more and more of your time will be spent with some girl other than Helena, and this will be hard for your mother to deal with. She won't like it, but eventually she will accept it. But to the extent she can do so, your mother won't just let you make decisions yourself regarding who you want as a girlfriend or a wife. She will try to influence your decision when it comes to choosing a mate, because that way she can keep you close to her."

Dodson observed, "And with you choosing Kara, Helena can't ask for better control of you and your dick."

"Why?" Quinn asked. He was now extremely interested in understanding how his mother might be able to keep controlling him.

Hammer said, "Simple, Quinn. Kara is Helena's protégé, her mini-me. She works with her all day. Why, I'll bet there are some days when Helena spends more time with Kara than she does with you. Kara looks up to your mother and wants to be like her. She values your mother's opinion, so she'll take whatever advice Helena gives her, especially if that advice has anything to do with being with you or making you do what she wants."

Dodson contributed, "And so, from Helena's perspective, if you are going to be with a girl other than your mother, the best possible alternative is a girl that looks up to her and wants to be close to her. Because if Kara is close to Helena, then _you'll _stay close to Helena. And if Helena can influence Kara, then she can influence _you_."

"Why?" Quinn asked.

"Because most men are simple creatures, Quinn," Cavanaugh mused. "We basically want sex and food, and a certain amount of peace and quiet. We'll do what we're told in exchange for a steady supply of those things."

Dodson said, "And Helena knows this. Boy does she know it. So all she has to do is teach Kara how to use your need for sex, food and peace to control you. The two of them will collude with each other against you."

Quinn shook his head and said, "I don't think so."

Hammer and Dodson gave each other a look. It was mischievous and conspiratorial. Cavanaugh sipped his cocktail and shook his head as he observed their immaturity.

Hammer suddenly took a fatherly demeanor. He lamented in a hopeful but doubtful tone, "I hope you're right, Quinn. I really do. But I don't think so. This scenario is as old as marriage, and it's very predictable. Helena's a woman. She's a lesbo, but she's still a woman … and a mother. And she's therefore going to act like all mothers do when it comes to their sons. It's hardwired into her. She can't help it."

Quinn still looked doubtful, so Dodson helped him along. He cajoled, "Okay, Quinn. You don't have to believe us for now. But you will soon enough. Believe your own eyes. What Helena is going to do is entirely predictable. Plan B is a three-step process, and if she knows you want Kara to be your girlfriend she's already started on Step One."

Quinn quirked a brow, indicating that he wanted to hear what the steps were. Not because he believed Helena would implement them, but he was curious.

Dodson smiled and said, "Okay, let's assume Helena has accepted that you're a man and that you now want some pussy. She also knows that Kara is the girl you want to be with. Well, after she gets over the cold chill that hit her mom tit, she's going to think about how she feels about you being with Kara.

She won't like that you're a man, but then eventually she'll accept that you becoming a man is going to happen, whether she likes it or not. Now she assesses Kara, and says to herself that you being with her isn't so bad. Why? Because she likes Kara, and Kara emulates Helena and listens to her advice."

Hammer added, "And for her part, Kara is trying really hard to get Helena to like her. Kara wants to be with you, and she doesn't want conflict with your mother. So at some point, the two of them will have … _THE CONVERSATION_."

"What conversation," Quinn puzzled.

"The conversation where they feel each other out and decide whether they can be allies or not," Hammer explained. "They'll be having what looks like simple girl talk. They'll … share stuff with each other, grow closer if they can. But that's just a dance. What they're really trying to figure out is if they can be open with each other about you, and whether they want the same things when it comes to you."

Dodson added, "They're trying to figure out if the two of them are compatible enough with each other to share you. I know that sounds a little kinky, but it's not really. It's just woman shit."

Hammer summarized, "And heaven help you Quinn if Helena and Kara decide that they are compatible and they can share you. Heaven help you if they create an alliance."

"Why?" Quinn asked.

Hammer explained, "Because the two of them will collaborate and control your dick. And once they jointly control your dick, they will control you. And one day, you'll look up and find yourself living in some suburban nightmare."

Dodson helped, "A nightmare in which you're holding a screaming baby in each arm and you're dog tired from being up all night taking care of them and you haven't had sex or a decent meal in … well, you can't even remember when."

Hammer drew a vivid picture for Quinn, "And meanwhile, Helena and Kara have gone off shopping together. And during said shopping trip, Kara will complain to Helena about how you don't do enough at home with the house full of kids that _she and_ _Helena_ wanted. Don't forget that, Quinn. About two minutes after you get with a girl that your mother likes, she wants you married and producing grandkids. That's the only kind of fucking that's sanctioned by your mother, fucking that makes grandchildren. Once the grandchildren are made, however, there's no more fucking for you."

Quinn looked horrified.

Seeing Quinn's reaction to living a suburban nightmare, Dodson smiled and added, "Oh, and don't get too excited about the fucking that makes the grandkids, either. Helena and Kara will decide together that even _that _sex needs to be boring and basic. We're not talking about porn star sex, Quinn. Your dick's not getting sucked and you're not pounding into anything. You're basically in the missionary position every session, and Kara will want you to stare into her eyes the whole time. Oh, and you'll need to tell her over and over while you're _making love …" _

Dodson said the words "making love" facetiously, imitating a woman's voice. He finished, "how you love her and you're so glad you get to spend the rest of your life with her in marital bliss."

Hammer mused, "But the only people experiencing bliss from your marriage will be Helena and Kara. Meanwhile, you've been reduced to a sperm donor, babysitter and therapist. Oh, and if they're really good at managing you, they'll make you clean the house, too."

Dodson chimed in, "'Because you can't hire a maid to do the housework and help with the babies. Oh no. She might be pretty and you might want to fuck her, so maids and au pairs are a no-no. Long story short, Quinn. Helena and Kara won't stop managing you until they've turned you into a toothless, bitch cat tiger."

Quinn was visibly disturbed, which pleased Hammer and Dodson to no end. The alpha tiger asked, "What's Step One again?"

Dodson smiled a wide Cheshire grin and said, "Step One happens after Helena and Kara have the critical bonding conversation, Quinn. It happens after they mutually decide that they're compatible, and that they both want this relationship between you and Kara to happen. Helena will give her blessing after she surmises that Kara will give her a certain amount of control over her and her life with you."

Quinn asked, "Then what happens?"

Dodson replied, "Then Kara and Helena start talking about you, and Helena begins the first of many lessons in which she teaches Kara how to handle and control you."

Hammer added, "And most of the control will relate to your dick and how you fuck, at least at first. Now they may or may not be overt about that. But that doesn't matter. Even if the two of them are talking about how you communicate or whether you'll dry the dishes more often, they're really talking about controlling your dick. The thing for you to remember is, anytime Helena and Kara start talking about you and how Kara can control you, they're really talking about controlling your dick."

Dodson said, "So Step One will be for Helena to give Kara some motherly advice, some secret insight about you, her son. This will further bond her and Kara with each other. The advice could be about your dick or ostensibly about something else. Doesn't matter. The point is that Kara will be on the lookout to see whether the advice she gets from Helena is accurate. And if it is, then Kara will agree to follow it. And when Kara agrees to follow Helena's advice, Helena will trust and accept Kara."

Hammer chimed in, "And that will quickly bring up Step Two. After Helena earns Kara's trust by giving her advice about you and Kara earns Helena's trust by accepting that advice, then Helena will anoint Kara as _the chosen one._"

"What does that mean?" Quinn asked.

Hammer explained, "It means that Helena will do or say something to Kara that communicates in no uncertain terms that Helena has chosen Kara and only Kara to be her daughter-in-law. Helena will choose Kara to be her daughter, and your wife."

"No, I'm choosing Kara," Quinn objected.

Hammer corrected, "No, Quinn. Not if Helena anoints her. If Helena chooses Kara, it doesn't matter what you want after that. I've seen this happen a million times. When a mother anoints her future daughter-in-law, that's it. The son can break up with her. Hell, he can even marry another woman. It doesn't fucking matter. His mother won't accept the wife and will muse openly about her real daughter, the one she chose.

Listen to this, Tiger. I've got a friend who's been married for over thirty years, and his mother still hates his wife. She still keeps in touch with the woman she chose as her daughter-in-law over thirty years ago. Sometimes for fun, the mother invites her anointed one over for family dinner. Trust me, Quinn. This is an uphill battle, and it's going to be hard for you to win."

Dodson added, "Exactly. You're a bitch cat, so it's probably good that you want to be with Kara. At least you and Helena will be on the same page in terms of choosing the same girl. That limits how much you're going to have to fight for your manhood. But you still need to be aware of what's being done to you so you can deal with it.

You _think_ you're choosing Kara. But a big part of why you're choosing Kara is because she reminds you of your mother, and plus you know that your mother approves of Kara. Listen, Quinn. It's okay. It's natural for a man to want his mother to like his girlfriend or his wife. It keeps the peace, and peace is one of the top three things all men want, right behind sex and food, in that order."

Hammer added, "The key, Quinn, is for you to manage the situation so that your mother and your woman don't manage you. Because after Step Two comes Step Three, and Step Three never ends."

"What's Step Three?" Quinn asked, a little afraid of the answer.

Hammer replied, "Step Three happens after your mother and Kara establish mutual trust in one another and Helena anoints Kara as her chosen daughter-in-law. The last step is for Helena to start openly inserting herself in your relationship with Kara. You'll be sitting in a room with the two of them and they'll be discussing your relationship like you're not even there. Who knows, maybe they'll even be discussing what you get to do with your dick. The point is that Helena and Kara will be making those decisions about you and for you, without even consulting you. I know it sounds strange, but it will be almost like your mother and your woman are fucking each other. That's how close they'll be, and you'll feel like you're on the outside."

Dodson added, "And you know the moment when it's over for sure? When you're sitting there and your own mother takes Kara's side over yours, like she believes her and not you. Or tells you not to hurt poor Kara."

Quinn objected, "But I wouldn't hurt Kara."

Hammer lamented, "Quinn, Quinn. You don't understand, son. You're a man. She's a woman. You're going to hurt her. You may not even realize it, but you will. Women get hurt over lots of shit that doesn't make any fucking sense. You fucked her and didn't cuddle with her long enough afterwards. You had a hard day at work and didn't notice that she trimmed her hair two centimeters. You didn't _look_ like you were listening when she said something that she thought was super duper important that was really the same bullshit she was whining about yesterday. You breathed too much. You exist. Trust me. It will be something, and then she'll start crying. And as soon as Helena sees those tears, whose side do you think she's going to take? Hmmm?"

Quinn sipped some of his cocktail. This time he didn't notice the sting of the alcohol. He was too worried about Step Three. Of all the things Hammer and Dodson had just told him, the idea that his Mother would take anyone's side over his bothered him the most. He was, after all, the favored son. He had always been first. Hammer and Dodson seemed to be saying that now if it came down to a choice, Helena would put Kara first over him. Tinges of jealousy colored the alpha tiger, just enough to make his cheeks redden in irritation. He growled deep in his throat.

Hammer and Dodson shared a look.

Cavanaugh shook his head and interjected, "Listen Quinn. Don't let these two stir you up. I know both their families very well, and they didn't do any of this shit they're telling you, because if they did it their wives would have kicked their asses.

Kara Wellington is a nice young lady. She's smart, attractive and comes from a good family. And she's wealthy, which can't hurt a military man like you in advancing his career. If Helena likes Kara, that's all the better. My wife and my mother are very close, and I have a very happy family. My wife and I have been together thirty-seven years."

But Hammer wasn't having his handiwork so easily undone. He said, "Yes, James. But isn't it true that you had more than a few moments where you had to put your foot down with your mother and your wife?"

Cavanaugh clarified, "Look, family members, and that includes mothers … they get involved. They have opinions. That's what being part of a family is all about. So, have there been times when I've had disagreements with my wife about how something should be done? Yes. Has my mother shared her opinion about something going on in my marriage? Yes. Was it the end of the world for my manhood? Not at all. My mother's really sick right now. My wife is her primary caretaker. It's good for me that the two of them are so close, and I'm thankful for it. So you two need to stop putting it in Quinn's head that Helena and Kara being close is necessarily a bad thing."

_Damn Cavanaugh. _He had to go get all serious and sentimental. Cavanaugh's talk of his sickly mother seemed to take a little bit of the wind out of Hammer and Dodson's sails. They sat quietly for a moment, until Dodson asked, "So tell me, Quinn. Has Afrida ever expressed an opinion about Kara?"

Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "Not really. Hmm. One time she mentioned that Kara seemed like a Pollyanna."

Hammer and Dodson whistled.

Then Hammer said, "Whooo weeee. That's gonna be interesting. Isn't it, Carl?"

Dodson agreed, "Exactly. You're in trouble, Kil-" … Quinn."

Quinn asked, "Why?"

Dodson explained, "See, this is the problem with all this gay and lesbo shit. No offense, Quinn. But look. It's not fair that you have two mothers, because it means that you have to deal with two distinct mother problems and two sets of mom tits. One mother problem is enough for any young man. But two? Goddamn!"

Quinn looked confused. Hammer chimed in, "Your mother Helena presents one kind of mom tit problem. But your mother Afrida presents a different mom tit problem. Helena is controlling and wants you to do everything she tells you to do. She's going to deal with your natural desire to fuck a woman by handpicking the woman you fuck on a regular basis and teaming up with that woman to keep controlling you.

Now Afrida sounds entirely different. You say she referred to Kara as a 'Pollyanna.' Well, that's not normally a positive way to describe someone. It means Afrida thinks Kara is naïve or dishonest with herself, or maybe Afrida thinks that Kara pretends to be one way when in fact she's something entirely different. Either way, Afrida basically is saying she doesn't think Kara is right for you. So unlike Helena who loves Kara to death, Afrida is probably going to dislike Kara and have conflicts with her. If you're lucky, Afrida will tolerate Kara's presence in your life."

Dodson interjected, "But knowing that bi-." Quinn was baring his teeth at Dodson, waiting for him to finish the insult.

But Dodson still remembered the alpha tiger's hand gripping his throat and corrected himself. "_bit _of information about Afrida that I do, I'm pretty sure she won't just sit quietly and tolerate Kara if she dislikes her."

Hammer observed, "Afrida is going to present the stereotypical mother-in-law problem. You remember the TV show _Bewitched_?"

Quinn nodded. _Yes. _

Hammer asked, "Remember how Samantha's mother Endora used to be with Samantha's husband Darrin?"

Quinn nodded. _Yes. _

Hammer said, "Well that's going to be Afrida and Kara. And if you don't put a stop to that shit early on, then you'll be drowning in a sea of estrogen just trying to hold onto your twig and berries. This will be bad for you all around, Quinn, unless you get ahead of the situation. You need to nip all that female shit in the bud right when it starts."

Quinn said, "I don't think my Mother and Afrida will act the way you say they will."

Dodson mused, "Hey, maybe you're right. Here's a little test. Is there something you've been thinking about doing that you haven't told your mothers? Maybe something that you're sure your mothers won't like?"

Quinn sat quietly. The look on his face said there was something that he wanted to do that might meet with disapproval from his mothers.

Dodson prodded, "There is. I can tell. Go on. You can say it. We won't tell."

Quinn tentatively said, "I … I want to get a tattoo."

Hammer and Dodson smiled. Cavanaugh looked pleasant as he sipped his cocktail.

Dodson said, making sure to use a supportive tone, "That sounds nice, Quinn. A tattoo is exactly the kind of thing plenty of young men want. What kind of tattoo?"

Quinn spoke up, encouraged by the positive reaction he received from the three generals, "A tiger print with tiger eyes over a green U.S. Army logo … on my right shoulder."

Dodson smiled warmly and said, "That sounds like a mighty fine tribute to both your unique tiger identity and your Army service. Did you know that all three of us have tattoos, Quinn?"

Quinn shook his head. _No._

All three generals took off their green Army jackets and their white dress shirts, revealing Vietnam era tattoos on their upper arms. Hammer's tattoo was extremely colorful and extended over his shoulder and onto part of his back. Quinn's eyes widened as he studied all three tattoos. They all looked intricate and impressive. Seeing them made Quinn want his upper right arm adorned even more.

Dodson urged, "Listen, don't take our word for it, Quinn. Test our theory out. See for yourself how controlling your mothers are. Tell Helena and Afrida that you plan to get a tattoo. Don't say that you _want _a tattoo. Remember, tell them you _plan _to get a tattoo. You're a grown ass man. You're not asking any mothers for permission."

Hammer added, "And I'll bet you that both of them find twenty different ways to discourage you. They won't stop until you relent and decide against getting your tattoo."

Quinn Tiger was growling low in his throat. It was now clear that Hammer and Dodson had worked him up enough to instigate action.

Dodson helpfully advised, "Look, Quinn. Don't panic. You can deal with this. You need to be prepared to handle your mothers when the time comes. Regarding Helena, be on guard for Steps One and Two."

Quinn asked, "But how will I know if she's done Steps One and Two?"

Hammer grinned, "Oh, you'll know, Quinn. Don't worry about that. You'll know because Kara will tell you. Warning sign number one will be the first time Kara tells you, 'Your mother _told_ me you would do this' or 'Helena _told_ me you would be like this. When you hear those words, you'll know Helena has implemented Step One of her plan to control your dick.

Warning sign number two will be when Kara tells you that Helena gave her something really special or shared something significant with her. It will mean that Helena thinks of her like a daughter. When you hear this, you'll know that Helena has implemented Step Two of her plan to control your dick."

Dodson helped, "And once Step Two is complete, it won't be long before Helena launches into Step Three. She's gonna insert herself in your relationship with Kara. Something will happen, and you'll see her sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, and taking Kara's side against you. Hell, she may literally try to block your cock by telling Kara how and how not to fuck you. And when that happens, you've gotta nip that shit in the bud. Put Helena in her fucking place the very first time it happens, or you'll be dealing with that shit forever."

"But I can't beat her. I tried and she kicked my ass," Quinn muttered.

Hammer and Dodson stifled a laugh. Dodson muttered, "What a bitch cat."

Before Quinn could react, Hammer said, "Quinn, you don't have to fight Helena to put her in her place. Just tell her to back off. You can fight her if you want to, but if she kicks your ass, then you drop the nuclear bomb on her."

"What's that?" Quinn asked.

Hammer explained, "You move out of her fucking wolf den. Get your own apartment. Nothing puts a controlling mother in her place better than moving the hell out of her house. That's how you deal with Helena. Afrida will be a bit easier to handle. If she doesn't get along with Kara, just tell her to chill the fuck out or you two won't be spending as much time together."

Quinn didn't look happy about the idea of moving out of his apartment, or not spending time with Afrida. Seeing this, Dodson and Hammer moved on to a more pleasant subject. At the same time, Dodson opened his briefcase and pulled out his laptop. He began typing searches into Youtube.

Dodson intoned while focusing on his laptop, "Look, don't worry about all that now. Just be prepared to handle both your mothers if and when shit happens. Right now you should focus on getting ahead of this problem. And the way to do that is by setting the right tone with Kara."

"How do I do that?" Quinn asked.

Dodson replied, "By letting her know you're the man and you're the boss. And the best place to start letting Kara know you're the man is when it comes to fucking. You'll start letting her know when she gives you the signals that she wants sex."

"So I start when Kara tells me she wants sex?" Quinn asked.

Dodson explained, "No, because remember, a girl like Kara isn't going to come right out and tell you she wants to have sex. Instead, she's going to give you signals. She might say no with her lips, but her actions are going to say yes."

Hammer helped, "She'll touch you suggestively, like maybe stroke your arm or your chest. She'll show you some cleavage or wear a really short skirt so you can see her thighs. She'll give you a certain look that'll make your dick jump. She'll talk like this, all seductive." Hammer made his voice high and girly, imitating a seductive voice. "When she does that stuff, she's doing a mating dance. Then it's up to you to take the lead. She's going to expect you to make the first move.

Now in the moment, Kara may say no with her lips, but she doesn't really mean it. She may pretend that she doesn't want to fuck, but she really does. She may tease you, then get scared when she sees your big dick. Keep taking the lead. She wants you to give her plausible deniability. She wants to be overcome by desire. But she can't do that if you back off at the first little sign of resistance."

Dodson chimed in, "And if you don't take the lead, then Kara will think you're a bitch cat. No woman wants a bitch cat. Every woman wants a real man. Now a woman may date a bitch cat. She may even marry a bitch cat, but she won't ever respect him. Whatever you do Quinn, don't ever be a bitch cat."

Quinn frowned and shook his head. He objected, "But both my mothers told me that when a woman says no, it always means no. No matter what."

Dodson gave Hammer a sneaky look, then explained to Quinn, "And your mothers are absolutely right, Quinn. We agree with them. But remember. There is a _no_ that means _no_, and there is a _no_ that means _yes_. For god's sake. We covered this before. Didn't Helena tell you that sometimes what something looks like on the outside isn't the same as what it really is on the inside?"

Quinn nodded slowly.

Hammer gently explained, "Well, that's the same thing as a _no_ that's really a _yes. _Quinn, listen to us. We're men. We've been where you are. We know what you're going through. Your mothers aren't equipped to give you help with this. They don't know what it means to be a man, to have certain hungers that need to be fed. They don't understand testosterone. They probably don't want you fighting, either."

Quinn said, "But my Mother fights. She'll fight anyone who messes with me."

Hammer was nonplussed as he said, "Oh, please. Yes, a woman will get violent and fight over her children. That's just garden-variety mama bear behavior. It's hard wired into them. But you're not a baby anymore, Quinn. So there's no place for that shit now. It's finally time to get both sets of those mom tits out of your mouth, man.

You got your eye on that pretty lioness, Kara. I agree with James. That's a good move. She's a nice piece of ass and she's rich. But don't let her control you because she's got money. A rich bitch wants the same thing as a poor one, Quinn. She wants her man to act like a man."

Dodson pointed to his laptop and said, "Come look at this, Quinn. I've done some research and found a visual aid for you, my boy. Now, as you probably know, lions and tigers don't normally interact in the wild. However, there are some nature preserves that place lions and tigers in the same environment. And whenever that happens, the lionesses like Kara always choose tigers like you. Because tigers can fuck for a long ass time and they don't take shit from women. And the lionesses like that."

Quinn, Hammer and Cavanaugh moved so they could all see the video on Dodson's laptop. It showed a male tiger and several female lionesses in a nature preserve.

Hammer pointed to the screen and said, "Now, look at that Quinn. See how the lead lioness comes over to the big male tiger. She's the queen. She's Kara. Look at how she brushes up against him then walks away. She's teasing him. She's letting the tiger know that she wants to fuck. Now look what happens when the tiger tries to mount her."

Quinn watched as the tiger in the video tried to mount the queen lioness. Quinn jumped a little when he saw the lioness in the video turn around and growl loudly. She swiped an angry paw and scratched the male tiger.

Hammer reassured, "Don't let that frighten you, Quinn. It's all an act. She's testing him. She's play fighting to see if the tiger is gonna be a man cat or a bitch cat. If the tiger lets a little girl cat swipe make him back off, then he doesn't deserve to fuck her."

Dodson said, "Fucking can involve some pain, Quinn. But it's worth it. Yes, the tiger got scratched. But now look what he does."

Quinn's eyes widened as he watched the male tiger try to mount the queen lioness again. This time when the lioness tried to turn around and swipe him, the male tiger held her in place and roared. He bit the back of the lioness's neck and thrust into her.

Hammer and Dodson cheered.

Hammer said, "You see that, Quinn. That tiger is a real man cat. He's an alpha like you. That queen lioness started out acting like she didn't want to fuck. But as soon as the tiger showed her who's boss, she complied. Now look at her. She submitting and she's liking it. That's because she wanted it all along. She was saying _no_ but she really meant _yes._"

Cavanaugh observed, "Look, Quinn. Now the tiger's being affectionate." Quinn watched as the tiger licked the back of the lioness's neck as he thrust into her.

Dodson added, "Yes. The tiger is fine with being gentle, after he lets her know he's a man. That's why she likes it."

Hammer noted, "And pay attention to this, Quinn. If that tiger had backed down and acted like a bitch cat, he wouldn't have gotten any pussy. None of those lionesses would have let him come near them.

But once the tiger acted like a man cat, the pussy multiplied. See all those other lionesses. This whole time they were watching the tiger and their sister, the queen. They were watching to see whether he passed the test. Is he gonna be a bitch cat or a man cat? Now that he's put the queen in her place, all of those other lionesses want to fuck him."

Dodson chuckled, "See, Quinn. Look at all those pussies lining up and waiting to be fucked. That is how they want a man to behave. It's primal. All women want a man who acts like a man. You play your cards right, Quinn, and you won't just be fucking Kara. You'll be fucking all her sisters, too. Like that blonde sister of hers. Now that's a nice piece of ass. And I'll bet she's got other sisters, too."

Quinn watched as the tiger mounted one lioness after another. He suddenly got an erection, then emitted a high pitched moan.

"What the fuck was that?" Dodson asked.

"What was what?" Quinn asked.

"That sound you just made after your dick got hard," Dodson said. "You sounded like a woman, like someone slammed a door on your bitch cat tail. Don't do that. Don't ever make noises, any noises, when you're fucking."

Hammer agreed, "Real men don't make noises when they fuck, Quinn."

Quinn objected, "General M does."

Dodson stifled a laugh and giggled out, "Like we said, Quinn ... real men. Look, don't follow the example of your beta wolf father. There's no hope for General M. He's married to two man-hating lesbians. At this point, he's just trying to keep his dick and balls from being ripped off. But you're a tiger, an alpha tiger. And you're just starting out. It's not too late for you to be a man cat."

Hammer also tried to keep from laughing. He advised, "Look, just do what we tell you, Quinn. We're gonna help you, because it's obvious that no one in your family can do it. First, regarding Kara, we'll come to Draco tomorrow so we can observe you and her together. We'll watch Kara interact with you and help you see the signals she's giving you. Second, when you finally fuck Kara, don't be crying out like a little bitch cat. I don't care how good the pussy is. Hold that shit in. The only one who should be making noises during sex is the woman."

Dodson gave Hammer a sly look and then exclaimed, "Hey, Quinn. You know what you should do? Go home and watch the video and practice being like the tiger. You don't want to get performance anxiety with Kara when the time comes."

Quinn asked, "How do I practice?"

Dodson smiled a devilish grin and said, "Hmmm. You can practice with a pillow. Take a pillow and pretend it's one of those sexy lionesses in the video. Practice your growling, mounting and thrusting."

Hammer tried to stifle his laughter, so much so that his eyes were starting to water. Eventually he composed himself enough to add, "I agree with Carl. You should practice, Quinn. And not just on one pillow. You should practice on pillows of different sizes, so you're ready for different sized women. Don't you think so, Carl?"

Dodson was holding in guffaws, as well. He managed to eke out, "Yes. Yes, I do. Say, what's the biggest pillow in your house, Quinn?"

Quinn thought for a moment, then said, "There are some really big pillows on the sofa in the living room. And my parents have a really long pillow in their bedroom. But it's decorative. They don't sleep on it. It's covered with some fabric that my Mother bought in Europe."

Hammer and Dodson were beside themselves with laughter at this point. Hammer worked hard to give himself a straight face. He advised, as serious as he could make himself between chortles, "Hmm, then I think you should try these techniques out on both the sofa pillows, and on that special embroidered pillow in your parents' room. It's okay, Quinn. You're not sleeping on Helena's special pillow. You're just gonna growl at it a little. When you're done practicing, just put everything back where you found it."

Dodson added, "You should go home right now, if you can. Get started on practicing right away, before your mothers get home."

Hammer chuckled, "Yes, go home right now. Hurry, Quinn. Hahaha."

Dodson quipped, "And don't be surprised if you finally figure out how to take care of your tent pole. Hahaha."

Cavanaugh shook his head and sipped his cocktail. Hammer and Dodson took several minutes to calm themselves down.

Hammer, eyes teared up from too much laughter, concluded, "Everything we've told you today can be summed up easily, Quinn. Don't ever, ever allow yourself to be pussy whipped. When any woman, and that includes both your lesbian mothers, tries to pussy whip you, don't allow it. Don't be pussy whipped. Reverse it. Whip that pussy."

Dodson and Hammer together slapped the coffee table in front of them and chanted, "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Hammer said, "And when your little lioness Kara gets that bang, bang, bang from you Quinn, do you know what she's gonna say?"

Quinn frowned and asked, "No, what?"

Dodson and Hammer chime out together, "Ooh Daddy!"

Cavanaugh chuckled at this as he sipped his cocktail and pulled drags off his cigar.

Dodson asked Quinn, "Do you want me to send you the link to this video for your practice sessions? What's your email address?"

Quinn very much wanted that video. He sat straight up, mostly because of his erection, nodded and said rapidly, "quinntigerblake at gmail dot com."

Dodson held up his hand and said, "Slow down, Kil- … Quinn. I know your dick is hard but try to stay calm. I can't type that fast. I'm an old man. Give me that address again."

Quinn repeated just as rapidly, ""quinntigerblake at gmail dot com."

But this time, Cavanaugh helped Dodson out with, "Quinn. Tiger. Blake. All one word. At gmail. Dot com."

Dodson sent Quinn the video in an email entitled, "Mancat alpha tiger fucks lioness pussies." He then said to Quinn, "Okay, Tiger. You should have it in your inbox. Go home and start practicing. And don't forget, practice using as many different pillows as you can."

As Quinn heard his phone chime, alerting him that a new email was in his inbox, General Hammer said, "Pay attention to that alpha tiger in the video. Watch and learn, Quinn. Watch and learn. Pay close attention to that stud man tiger and what he does to that queen lioness. Now _that _is how a real man handles a pussy."

**_Sonoran Desert - Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_Department of Scientific Research and Development (SRD - Work Sector 3)_**

**_Weretortoises in Love; Afrida Can't Wait to See M_**

General Afrida sat at her desk surveying the steady hum of activity taking place in her open work area. She focused most on Terra and Terri, her newest lovebirds. As promised, Terra and Terri arrived to work almost two hours after Afrida. That wasn't bad, considering how slow the two of them had been moving when Afrida left them in her apartment.

The goddess was extremely pleased with her handiwork. She now had a perfect success record when it came to facilitating love connections on her team. And she had apparently saved the best for last. Everyone noticed the improvement in Terri's attitude and demeanor as soon as he stepped into the work area. But the most striking change was Terri's wardrobe. Afrida was utterly shocked when Terri walked in wearing a pair of basic black Haggar dress slacks, and a white Stafford, wrinkle-free dress shirt. Both the slacks and the shirt fit Terri perfectly.

Terri went to his desk and got right to work. He didn't even glance at Ben's empty tub. Afrida signaled Terra to come into her office.

When Terra closed the door, Afrida asked, "What happened to Terri? His outfit looks wonderful. He looks so … stylish."

Terra laughed a little and explained, "Well, Terri had a real problem with wearing his Wednesday corduroy pants on Thursday. And we couldn't go to his house to get his Thursday corduroy pants. His mother would be asking too many questions. So I convinced him to let me take him to the mall and get a new outfit."

Afrida raised both eyebrows in surprise and asked, "And he didn't protest."

Terra said, "He did a little. But it helped that I found a sale. I got the whole outfit for under $40.00. And I told him how sexy he looks, so he let me dress him."

Afrida cautiously said, "Well, he looks terrific. Maybe with a little prodding from you, Terri will let you expand his wardrobe."

Terra smiled and said, "I think he will. I suggested that we go on a little shopping trip this weekend, and he didn't object. He's going to need a few things anyway."

Afrida asked, "Oh, why?"

Terra explained, "Well, Terri said that he wants me to have dinner with his Mom and Dad. I mean all of us go out to dinner, to a fancy restaurant. He wants to look nice when he tells them we're dating. And we're going to do the same kind of dinner thing with my parents, so that's another outfit."

Afrida smiled and said, "Wow, that's fast. And you're not worried about either set of parents accepting you two as a couple?"

Terri shook her head. _No. _She said, "My parents will love Terri because he's a Weretortoise and not a Werehare. I mean, they love my brother-in-law and their grandchildren now, but they're happy that I'm dating inside my Were species. And Terri's Mom loves me because I'm not a bitch slut like Chelsea Letterman. She's glad what happened to Tori won't happen to Terri. So I guess you can say we're both getting the benefit of not doing what our older siblings did to piss off our parents."

Afrida said, "I see."

Terra said, a bit excitedly, "Oh, speaking of Tori and slut bitches, guess what?! I'm going to get to meet Chelsea Letterman. She's doing some kind of reconciliation show where she tries to explain her side of what happened at San Diego Comic-Con when she slept with Terri's brother Tori."

"And Terri's mother agreed to do that?" Afrida asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah," Terra said. "But only because Chelsea Letterman's production company agreed to remodel her entire house. The Curries are real frugal, and a free home remodel was too good of an offer to pass up. And so Terri's mom doesn't exactly hate Chelsea Letterman anymore. She's actually very happy about all the home renovations."

Afrida mused, "That all sounds wonderful, I guess. As long as you and Terri are happy."

Terri hugged Afrida and said, "We are. I am. I can't thank you enough for, everything. I know I was acting hysterical at times, and I probably needed way more detail than you ever wanted to give … but, thanks."

Afrida held Terra and said, "I'm happy you two are together. It looks like you were made for each other. And the two of you look so happy."

Just as Afrida said these words, she heard a knock. She released Terra and opened the door. It was Terri. He said pleasantly, "Hi, General Afrida."

"Hi, Terri. How are you?" Afrida smiled warmly. Terri blushed a little, perhaps remembering that he had spent the previous night and part of this morning sexing Terra in his manager's apartment.

The little Weretortoise pushed past his embarrassment and said, "I … I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you that I was thinking. You asked me a long time ago if I wanted to be a section leader. Maybe train some of the other scientists and run things when you need to be out of the office. If the offer is still open, I would like to do that."

Afrida couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been encouraging Terri to take a leadership role and help his colleagues for two years. He never wanted to do it, but now he was volunteering. It seemed being in love was working wonders on her little Terri after less than a day.

Afrida beamed and said, "Of course, Terri. I would love for you to do that. I'll let the team know that you'll be helping me as a section leader. And I think I told you that this gives you management experience, which will help you make colonel faster."

Terri smiled and said, "I was hoping that was still the case. I'm getting older and I think it's time I started focusing more on advancing my career." Terri gazed adoringly at Terra and said, "You know, for my family and stuff."

Afrida nodded and said, "I think that's a wonderful attitude, Terri."

The goddess sighed as Terra and Terri left her office and went back to work. Love always made her happy, but new love was especially invigorating.

_Speaking of love. _Afrida closed her door and hit speed dial on her cell phone. MacArthur picked up on the second ring. He said, "Hello, dear."

Afrida whispered seductively, "Hello, my handsome Cuddly Bear. I'm checking to see what time you can leave today."

M replied pleasantly, "I moved all my meetings up. My last one finishes at 4:00 pm today, maybe a little after. Then I'm on my way to DC to be with you."

Afrida smiled into the phone as she said, "That sounds perfect, MacArthur. I can't wait to be with you."

M asked, "Would you like to go out to dinner. There are a couple of really nice new restaurants in Georgetown. We could-"

Afrida interjected, "Hmmm. No. I don't want to go to a restaurant. I want to stay home tonight. There's plenty for you to eat at the apartment."

"Oh, o-okay," M said cautiously. Afrida's tone made him unsure as to whether she was talking about food, so he just said, "That's great, dear. Then I'll just come straight to the apartment when my meeting is finished."

"Perfect," the goddess intoned. "I'll see you soon. I love you, MacArthur."

"I love you, too, dear," M said.

Afrida heard the click and returned her cell phone to her pocket. She closed her eyes and tilted her neck slowly from side to side, calming herself. She had been incredibly aroused all day, and as the time inched closer to the end of the work day, her body was absolutely pulsing with desire. Afrida's mind flashed images of her and M in various sexual positions. Each image sent a new wave of tantalizing flutters through her lower abdomen and privates.

The goddess took a deep breath and suddenly decided it was ridiculous to stay at work watching a slow-moving clock. She grabbed her things and strolled out into her work area. Afrida told her team that she had an urgent appointment, which required her to leave early. She wouldn't worry about the progress of work while she was away from her team. After all, she'd just designated a new, extremely qualified section leader.

**_Sonoran Desert – Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

General Helena sat at her desk. She went through the motions of doing work, but in fact she was focused on the monitors for the torture chamber, which was down the hall. Kara had been inside the chamber for just over an hour. Her vitals showed she was doing fine, but Helena was poised to rush to her mini-me at the first sign that Kara was panicking.

Helena wasn't worried at the moment. She had started the simulation with a basic set of torture experiences, things Kara could handle easily. She had set the program to gradually get more intense. She wanted to give Kara time to get accustomed to the program, since this was her second time in the chamber in one day.

Helena thought about her mini-me's confession that she was in love with Quinn. Helena already knew how the lioness felt about Quinn because she knew Kara's thoughts, but she was nevertheless surprised by how hearing the words out loud made her feel. The alpha wolf wasn't ready to admit this to herself, but she was experiencing more than a little anxiety about her son's growing up. The two of them had always been together. Since the day he was born, Helena and Quinn shared not only their personal space, but each other's thoughts and feelings.

Except on very rare occasions, neither of them tried to shield their thoughts and feelings from the other. Helena wasn't human, but she knew enough about human relationships to know that the Were bond she shared with Quinn was unusual. A human mother and son would be horrified to know the details of each other's lives that Helena and Quinn took as a given. But Helena had decided a long time ago that she wanted to form her own unique relationship with her son. In fact, she cherished that relationship because she had longed for it so very much. She had wished so much to have a child.

Helena recalled that after so many years of living with just MacArthur, she had suddenly felt this deep sadness about being childless. She knew something had triggered that feeling, but looking back she couldn't remember specifically what it was. Helena also knew that her decision to relate to Quinn in a non-human way, by leaving her thoughts and feelings open to him, had also been a very deliberate choice. She had consciously chosen _not _to emulate humans. She … hated humans. No. She hated _some _humans; and she hated some aspects of human nature. She tried to remember what she specifically hated about human nature, and why. But she couldn't.

All Helena knew was that she had longed for a child, and God had given her a beautiful son. She had conceived that son by making love with MacArthur. She and MacArthur had made Quinn _together_. This was a miracle that Helena reflected on every time she gazed upon her son and saw a bit of both her and his father in his features. He was a perfect combination of his mother and father.

And then, eight years after Quinn was born, Afrida, Quinn's other Mom, fell into their lives. Although Quinn looked nothing like Afrida physically, over time he acquired many of her quirks and mannerisms, because the two of them spent so much time with one another. Helena pictured Quinn and Afrida's eyes, which widened in surprise in exactly the same way. The thought made Helena smile as she sat at her desk. Quinn was the perfect reflection of all three of his parents.

Helena suddenly wanted to hear Quinn's voice, so she picked up the phone and dialed him. He answered his cell phone on the third ring.

**# # # # #**

**_Helena Plans Some Bonding Time With Quinn_**

Quinn Tiger walked briskly down the hall. He had just exited the Generals Lounge. His mind was reeling from the conversation he had just had with Generals Dodson, Hammer and Cavanaugh. He also was trying to hurry home, because thanks to that video Dodson had showed him of the tiger fucking the lionesses, he had an erection that wouldn't go away, and he didn't know how to get rid of it. Quinn had received a text from General M telling him he was leaving work early to spend the evening in DC with Afrida. This, thankfully, would allow Quinn to leave early himself.

Quinn planned to go straight home and watch the video of the tiger and lionesses again. He wanted time with those images by himself, without the annoying commentary from Dodson and Hammer. He also wanted to practice his growling, mounting and thrusting. Despite his dislike of Hammer and especially Dodson, Quinn thought practicing being a man cat was a very good idea.

Quinn's cell phone rang. It was his mother. Seeing her name pop up reminded him of the things that Dodson and Hammer had warned him about. Suddenly, Quinn wanted to talk to her.

Quinn answered, "Hello, Mother."

Helena said pleasantly, "Hi, Quinn. How are you? How are you feeling?"

Quinn knew that his mother was referring to his recovery from the Skittles attack. He said, "I'm feeling much better, but I am a little tired so I'm going home early. General M and I finished work early today. He's probably on his way to DC right now."

Helena pictured an image of M and Afrida in bed in the DC apartment making love. She imagined herself walking through the front door and joining them. A wave of arousal washed over her. She pushed it away.

She returned her focus to Quinn and said, "I know. I was wondering if maybe you and I could spend some time together tonight, just the two of us. Maybe we could just … hang out at home. We haven't done that in a while."

Quinn thought about it. He did miss spending time with his mother. He was a bit wary about being alone with her, because she would probably want to talk about what he did to Terri Curry's pet tortoise, Ben. She might also be angry about the Skittles attack, since Quinn had indirectly provoked Afrida into punishing Helena via punishing him. But a bigger part of the alpha tiger wanted to investigate whether anything that Dodson and Hammer had told him could possibly be true.

Quinn said, "Sure, I guess. That sounds … good. I'm on my way home now."

Helena heard the wariness in Quinn's voice. She could guess the reasons why.

She tried to allay Quinn's concerns with, "Look, Quinn. I don't want you worrying about this, so I'm just going to say it. I don't have any hidden agenda in wanting to spend time with you. I'm not going to get you alone and give you a lecture. I really just want to spend time with you. I … miss you."

Despite himself, Helena's words made Quinn smile. The truth was he enjoyed his mother's company immensely. He admitted that to himself, and in the moment he didn't care whether that made him a bitch cat or not. He said, "I … miss you, too."

Helena breathed in and out. She sensed that Quinn was being a tiny bit open, genuinely open. She didn't want to say something stupid that pushed him away. She tried to sound nonchalant as she said, "Well, good then. We can figure out something when I get home. I may be another couple of hours. I'm finishing up something with Kara."

Quinn growled a little in his throat. After speaking with Dodson and Hammer, he took note of Helena's statement that she couldn't come home to be with him because she was doing something with Kara. The thought made him worried that Helena was bonding with Kara to control his dick, which the generals had warned him about.

But more than fears of cock blocking and dick control, the thought of Helena and Kara spending their own time together now made Quinn jealous. He didn't like the idea of anyone being as important to Helena as him, even if that someone was Kara. General M and Afrida didn't count. They were his parents, and they each gave him lots of focused attention, as well. Helena loved M and Afrida as much as she loved Quinn. But that love was different, and it didn't compete with the bond between mother and son.

Quinn asked, sounding a little edgy, "Oh, yeah? What are you doing with Kara?"

Helena didn't notice the intensity of the interest in Quinn's voice. She gave a nonchalant answer, "Oh, we're testing one of the war zone simulators."

Quinn wasn't satisfied with the answer. He pressed, "So why can't you do that tomorrow and come home early to be with me?"

Helena paused for a moment, trying to figure out the source of Quinn's sudden hostility and … possessiveness. To Helena, he almost sounded … jealous. And she was picking up those kinds of feelings from the Were bond, along with other emotions she couldn't quite decipher. The alpha wolf reminded herself that Quinn was probably still reeling a little bit from all the conflict that had been happening with his parents. Maybe she needed to give him some special attention, some special time together. But she couldn't leave Kara just yet.

Helena said gently, "Because I've already started the program, and I can't really stop it right now. But I promise I will come home as soon as it's done. And you and I will spend the rest of the evening together. Just the two of us. We can do whatever you want. We can watch a movie or-."

Helena sent Quinn a wave of warmth and love as she spoke, which calmed him down a bit. Quinn interrupted with, "Can we play video games?"

Helena rarely played video games with Quinn. Afrida was the one who always played such games with him. Helena thought most video games were inane and a waste of productive time. Quinn suspected his mother didn't like them because she probably wasn't good at them, but he had no real proof because she almost never played.

Quinn didn't really care whether he played video games with Helena or not. The question was a test. He wanted to see if his mother would make a small sacrifice for her one and only son, especially since she seemed to be getting so chummy with a new daughter. Helena stifled her normal tendency to dodge doing something she didn't really want to do. She decided that if her son wanted to waste time playing video games with her, then that's what they would do.

Helena said, "Okay, Quinn. That sounds fun. I told you. We can do whatever you want to do. I'll see you soon."

Quinn pressed, "You promise, Mother."

Helena frowned, but she said sweetly, "Yes, Quinn. I promise that tonight I'm spending the evening with you. I don't care what comes up. Look, if another earthquake happens and I have to stay here, you will come and be with me and we'll take care of it together. But barring that, I'm coming home and we're playing video games and whatever else you want to do. I'm really looking forward to it. I love you."

Helena had deliberately used that earthquake example, because she knew Quinn felt guilty about not being there to help her team when those missiles started engaging. Helena wanted to communicate to Quinn, without being heavy handed, that she still trusted him.

Quinn was surprised and happy about his mother's confidence in him, and that she wanted to spend time together doing whatever he wanted to do. He said, his voice full of genuine affection, "Okay, Mother. I love you, too."

Quinn Tiger hung up his cell phone. He smiled and breathed a little sigh of relief. His mother had passed the first test, but he planned to subject her to more stringent tests later that night when they were hanging out together. He needed to make sure Helena had no plans to implement Plan B against him. More importantly, Quinn also needed to know that no matter what, a certain male alpha tiger (and not a certain female alpha lioness) would forever be the most important cat in his mother's life.

**# # # # #**

**_Helena Unexpectedly Becomes a Mentor_**

Just as Helena hung up her office phone, it rang. She half expected it to be Quinn, calling back to tell her one more thing. But the caller i.d. showed a Washington, D.C. number that Helena didn't recognize. She answered and said, "This is General Wolfe."

A man's voice pleasantly said, "Hi, General Wolfe. You don't know me. This is General Hobbes. I'm calling because-"

Helena interjected, "No, I remember you, General Hobbes. I met you at the field demonstration earlier this week."

The voice corrected, "No. Sorry to confuse you. Wrong General Hobbes. You met my cousin. I'm Adam Hobbes' much younger second cousin, David Hobbes."

Helena took a moment and processed the information. She then said, "I see. How can I help you?"

Hobbes explained, sounding a bit awkward, "Well, it was my cousin who suggested that I call you. You see, I'm a new general and, well … I'm doing this leadership training right now. But the best training is real life. And everyone here in DC can't stop talking about what your team did during that earthquake, how they stopped all those missiles from launching. Soooo, I'm calling to ask if you'd be willing to be my mentor."

Helena blinked and took a few seconds to take in what Hobbes was asking. Then she said, "Sure, I'm interested. But I should ask what that will involve before I agree."

David Hobbes sounded a bit excited as he explained, "Absolutely, General Wolfe. It would be some lunches; my treat, of course. Maybe I could shadow you a couple of times, see how you work. And the occasional phonecall for advice. I promise I wouldn't take up too much of your time. Oh, and the HR Director, Rachel Sullivan …" Helena rolled her eyes. "She asked me to tell you that if you help me, she'll add something good to your file."

Helena said pleasantly, "That's not necessary, but I certainly won't turn it down. So, how do we get started? Would you like to visit next week, see some weapons testing?"

Hobbes quickly said, "That would be great, General Wolfe. I could come first thing on Monday morning, if you planned on doing something that day."

Helena was beginning to think this mentoring activity was going to be more intense than David Hobbes was letting on. She thought, then said, "Sure, if you'd like. The testing schedule says we'll be testing some AV weapons. I can ask my team to run the protocols for remote testing of a Tesla Tower, as well. That should give you a pretty full day of things to see."

Helena could tell Hobbes was smiling into the phone as he oozed, "Wonderful. Thanks so much. I look forward to meeting you."

Helena replied, "I look forward to meeting you, as well, General Hobbes."

Helena hung up the phone. She immediately turned her attention to the torture chamber monitors. Kara was doing fine. The alpha wolf smiled.

**# # # # #**

**_Jeanine (aka "Jenna") Angela Wellington _****_(nickname "JAW") _**is a Bad Kitty

Helena strolled out of her office and into her work area. She spoke loud enough for her entire team to hear, "Listen up, everyone. We have a change of plans for tomorrow due to the addition of a testing protocol for next Monday. A general will be visiting us from Washington, DC. We're going to be doing a demonstration of remote control of a Tesla Tower. I need you guys to run through the simulation tomorrow afternoon. I'm sorry, but this means we may have to stay a little late."

A few people groaned, and one of them was Jenna Wellington. She whispered to David Burke, who tended to stay within earshot of Jenna since she devirginized him, "Fuck. We're supposed to be celebrating Kara's birthday tomorrow. I need to leave early."

David said, "Yeah, but you heard General Helena. We have to run the protocols for the Tesla Tower remote control."

Jenna absently but affectionately stroked David's arm as she considered the problem. After spending several hours sexing David in the work storage closet with the queen-sized futon as a reward for his major heroics during the earthquake, Jenna found that she genuinely liked the cute, slightly nervous Were-eagle. He also hadn't been bad in bed, especially for a virgin.

Jenna made up her mind and said, "Well, we can't do any testing if the remote control mainframe isn't working."

David looked confused. He disagreed, "But it _is_ working."

"Oh, no it isn't," Jenna said as she strolled to a separate, small work room that housed the Tesla Tower remote control mainframe.

David was a little nervous about what Jenna might be planning, but he followed her anyway. He watched in shock as Jenna unscrewed a set of doors underneath the mainframe console. She carefully lodged one of her earrings against two wires.

David asked, a little panicky, "Jenna, what are you doing?"

Jenna explained as she reconnected the mainframe doors, "This machine looks complicated, but it's really very simple. All I did was interrupt the first transmission signal that should go from one part of the console to the other, and from there out to the tower. The platinum in my earring will disrupt the initial communication, making it look like something is malfunctioning in the mainframe. We can't do any testing until it's fixed. And that means no staying late tomorrow."

David warned, "And what are you gonna say when someone finds that earring?"

Jenna explained, "Nothing, because no one is going to find it. They'll do some quick troubleshooting tomorrow because the problem won't be obvious. I'll remove the earring tomorrow after the testing gets cancelled. Then all of a sudden, next week … after we've partied … the mainframe will suddenly be working again."

Jenna smiled, extremely pleased with herself. But David looked very concerned. Jenna pecked him on the lips and left him standing in the doorway, shaking his head with worry.

**# # # # #**

**_Jenna Wellington And General Helena Discuss Jenna's Crush_**

The beautiful but mischievous lioness grabbed a folder off her desk and sauntered into General Helena's office. Helena looked up and smiled when she saw Jenna. Since Jenna's heroic teamwork during the earthquake, Helena actually looked happy to be around her, and not as wary. Jenna didn't necessarily like this turn of events.

The blonde lioness tried a bit of seduction as she came close to Helena, who stood behind her desk. Jenna placed her folder on the desk in front of the alpha wolf and pressed her body against Helena.

The sexy lioness crooned, "Hi, General Helena. I finished my part of the report. It's ready for your review and signature."

Helena ignored Jenna's hot body, which was pressing against her side, as she flipped through the report and quickly read. Helena's eyes darted back and forth, until she paused and frowned.

Helena complained, "Jenna, this calculation doesn't follow from what you did on page nine. You deliberately miscalculated this."

Jenna feigned shock. She sounded overly apologetic, "Oh my gosh, General Helena. I don't know how I missed that."

Helena sighed, but she wasn't exasperated. Maybe it was time to address Jenna's little crush directly. Helena turned to Jenna and gently placed her palm on the lioness's face. At first Jenna reacted to the unexpected contact with a bit of aroused giddiness, until she realized her dream fantasy teacher was being … boring and motherly … not sensual.

Helena gently said, "Jenna, let's talk. Listen, I am … extremely flattered that you think I'm … what is it, H.A.F?"

Jenna giggled, amused at Helena's attempt to be cool and use slang.

Helena continued, "But, I am happily married. And you are a third of my age, at least. And, I am your manager, your senior manager. I would get fired for even looking at you the wrong way. There are way too many obstacles, and I will never be able to give you what you want. I just can't. So can you please, just … tone it down? You can't keep doing stuff like this. You can't give me reports to sign with deliberate miscalculations in them. What if I didn't catch this?"

Jenna shook her head and emphatically said, "I would have corrected the report before turning it in, General Helena. I promise. I would never do anything to hurt you."

Helena warned, "I don't think you would, Jenna. But you could forget to make the correction. Something could distract you. Something could go wrong. And then we would have to clean it up, assuming we get that chance. So please, just stop. I am flattered by your feelings. I really am. But you have to stop doing things like this."

Now it was Jenna who sighed. She asked, "So my fantasy of you sexually taking me roughly then gently isn't ever going to happen. Is that what you're telling me?"

Helena's silence gave Jenna her answer. It was a resounding _no._

Jenna sounded more than a little dejected, as she asked, "Well, can you just tell me? Are you at least sexually attracted to me? If there weren't so many obstacles, would you-"

Helena wrapped a strong arm around Jenna's waist, looked her straight in eye and warmly said, "Yes, Jenna. Okay. Yes. Just between you and me, I am … sexually attracted to you, very attracted to you. You're beautiful and brilliant. You're brash and daring in a way that I sometimes wish I was, but I'm not. And when you rose to the occasion during the earthquake, I saw a whole new, mature side of you. If I were more of a … B.A.B., I would have sexually taken you roughly then gently a long time ago. I would have given you a wild and dangerous sexual adventure."

Helena spoke to Jenna in a soft voice. Helena's tone of voice and her arm around Jenna's waste was almost erotic. Or at least Helena hoped it was. It was the most that she could give Jenna, and she wanted it to be something, a little something just for Jenna. She hoped this moment was intimate enough to make Jenna feel special and get this crush out of her system. Then maybe the sultry lioness would move Helena out of the hot fantasy category and firmly into the boring manager section of her nasty little mind.

Jenna interrupted in a soft voice, "You would have made my dreams come true? Been my real life fantasy?"

Helena smiled and softly said, "Yes. And you would have made _my_ dreams come true, Jenna. You would be _my_ real life fantasy. But I'm not a B.A.B. I'm just a safe, married general who likes sappy romance movies and cooks cheesy quinoa for Sunday dinners."

Jenna laughed a little. For the first time, she started to think that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to get to know General Helena, the _real _General Helena, and not her fantasy General Helena. The lioness slowly let go of her teacher student fantasy of a sexually dark, somewhat menacing and dangerous, controlling and dominant General Wolfe. In Jenna's fantasy, Helena didn't give a fuck about rules or protocols. She could and would take Jenna whenever she wanted, wherever she wanted, as often as she wanted. But that wasn't the real General Wolfe. Jenna suddenly decided that the real General Helena was kind of wonderful in her own, different way.

The blonde lioness smiled and said, "Thanks for telling me that, General Helena. Thanks a lot. I'll … try to be good from now on. I mean it this time."

Helena sincerely said, "Thank you."

Then Helena pressed her nose to Jenna's nose, and chastely rubbed her cheek against the lioness's cheek. Jenna's eyes widened in shock, then she purred. The beautiful blonde lioness blushed. Then Jenna quickly gave Helena a shy, almost innocent peck on the cheek, and rushed out of her office. Helena sighed and shook her head, a slight smile curling her lips. She was optimistic for the first time that her mischievous and flirtatious lioness would finally calm down.

**# # # # #**

**_Helena Calls Professor Stavros_**

Helena closed her office door. She eyed the torture chamber monitors and checked on Kara's vitals. Once she saw that her mini-me was fine, she regarded her cell phone. She tapped her desk for a moment, thinking about what to do. Then Helena dialed the number she had been thinking about all day. She dialed it before she could start to worry about unknowns. She listened to white noise, followed by an operator speaking in Greek, then in English.

The University of Athens' after hours automated line came on. _Shit, I forgot Athens is ten hours ahead of Phoenix. _

It was just after 4:00 pm in Phoenix, which meant that it was almost 2:00 am the following morning in Athens. Of course there wouldn't be anyone at Alex's office to answer the phone. The voice prompt invited Helena to punch in an extension if she knew the direct number of the person she was trying to reach. Helena didn't know Alex's direct number, so she instead opted for a directory of last names. She listened until she heard the name "Stavros."

Helena pressed a button and waited to be transferred to Alex's voicemail. She rehearsed a voice message in her head. _Hi, I'm the crazy woman you spoke with in a cave in Cyprus who thinks her wife is the goddess Aphrodite. My attempts to cut off sex with the Goddess of Love aren't going so well. Any ideas?_

To Helena's surprise, someone answered. It was a familiar woman's voice, despite its graininess as it traveled through hundreds of miles of airwaves and fiber optic cable.

"Hello, is this …? Hello?" said the voice.

Helena recovered from her surprise and said, "H-hello, is this Professor Alexis Stavros?"

Stavros sounded excited and nervous as she said, "Yes, it is. Is this … Helena Wolfe?"

"Yes, it is," Helena breathed out.

Helena's heart was racing, but at the same time she was calming down. Just hearing Alex's voice was making every crazy thing about the past two weeks seem real and plausible. Helena and Alex easily slipped into rapid-fire conversation, as if they had merely taken a short break from their conversation in that Cyprus cave and were now picking up again where they left off.

Alexis: Oh my god, Helena. I'm so glad to hear your voice. I should have taken down your contact information. But I didn't, so I've been praying that you would call me. So much has happened on my end. Or I should say, I've learned so much.

Helena could hear the excitement in Alex's voice. The professor was having a hard time catching her breath as she spoke. Helena couldn't see Alexis, of course. The professor was now wide awake and pacing anxiously back and forth in her apartment. She looked worried as she clung to the phone. She strolled over to her desk and flipped through typed pages, which rested next to an ancient manuscript that was encased in glass.

Helena: Really? I'm surprised that you're answering your phone. You can't be at work at this hour?

Alexis: No, I'm home.

Helena: I'm sorry for calling you so late. I hope I didn't disturb your husband.

There was a long silence.

Alexis: You didn't disturb anyone, Helena. I've been anxiously waiting and hoping for your call. I started forwarding my work calls to my cell phone soon after our afternoon together back in August. I was hoping that you would call me, and I figured if you did try to contact me it would be at some crazy hour, like 2:00 in the morning.

As for my husband … he's not here right now. But that's my story and it's for another time. I have too many important things to tell you about _your _story, about the myth I'm translating … things relevant to you. Incredible things.

Alexis absently flipped through pages of a book on her desk. The pages showed various gods and goddesses in Greek mythology.

Helena: Ok- okay. I won't say anything about your story, but not because I don't care, Alex. I can't tell you how glad I am to hear your voice. Let's just say I haven't been having the easiest time since I left Cyprus. My relationship with my wife is … tense right now. That's maybe the best way to put it.

Alexis: Yes, Helena. I'm guessing it has been very difficult for you, and that's why I've been hoping that you would call me. When we spoke in Cyprus, I had just started translating the documents I discovered in that cave. You know, the ones containing the myth that we discussed. But since then, I've translated more of the story, and … things are much more complicated than I thought. And much more incredible.

Just as she had started to calm down, Helena's heart started racing again. In Athens, Alex was frowning, trying to figure out how she was going to say the things she needed to say to Helena. She knew they were going to upset her, and there was no way of avoiding that given the subject matter. But Alex focused on how she could couch things to keep Helena as calmly as possible. The professor decided that the best thing she could do was to speak confidently and firmly.

Helena: I don't understand. What … what are you talking about?

Alexis: I know this is long distance, so I'll just get right to it. And I'll try not to be all over the place when I fill you in. First off, based on what I knew at the time we spoke initially, I believed that Aphrodite's task was to personally evolve. I believed that the only reason she was hurled from the heavens to Planet Earth was as a type of punishment for her violations against the other goddesses. I believed her sole task was to focus on herself and trying to be a better goddess. That seems to still be a part of what's going on. But I've since learned that's not the entire story; and Aphrodite's own evolution isn't even the most important reason for her being on earth.

Helena: O-okay. I'm listening.

Helena was trying to process. She had spent the past two weeks trying to keep Afrida at bay until she figured out how to convince her to work on her own self development. Now all of a sudden, Professor Stavros was telling her that isn't even the main task that Aphrodite has to do. The alpha wolf was just a bit … annoyed. But Helena pushed that feeling away and focused on what Alex was telling her.

Alex heard the frustration in Helena's voice, and decided to address it before moving on.

Alexis: Helena, I hear your frustration. I'm not saying that what you tried to do with your wife has been the wrong approach. I am saying that based on what I now know, it's not going to be enough. Do you remember the story that I told you, and who was present when Aphrodite was being judged for her violations?

Helena's mind raced as she mentally reviewed what Alex had told her during their talk in the cave in Cyprus.

Helena: Yes, I do. There was Zeus, Persephone, Artemis, Athena and Hera. And the … the Fates. I don't think you told me how many Fates there are. But it was the Fates who bound Aphrodite's tongue so that she couldn't speak in her own defense when she stood before Zeus.

Alexis: That's right. Let's focus on the Fates for a moment. There are three of them, by the way. They are responsible for weaving and controlling a person's destiny, or the thread of life, all the way from birth until death. The first Fate, Clotho, spins the thread of your life. The second Fate, Lachesis, allots you your destiny. Basically she makes whatever is going to happen to you happen, whether it's good or bad. The third Fate, Atropos, makes your destiny inescapable, or unturnable. That's why it is said that no one can escape their own destiny.

When I worked on translating the first part of this story, I found it absolutely puzzling that the Fates would be helping Zeus and the Olympian goddesses to punish Aphrodite. The Fates have no reason to care about Zeus and his affairs. In fact, as I'll explain, they have good reasons to hate Zeus. Now that I know more of the story, it makes sense why they were present and facilitating at Aphrodite's sentencing.

You see, as it turns out, the Fates weren't helping Zeus at all. They had their own secret agenda to seek revenge against Zeus and rescue someone they love who was harmed by Zeus. And they're using Aphrodite to accomplish their goals. And all of this potentially helps Aphrodite. What I'm saying, Helena, is that the Fates are secretly on Aphrodite's side in all of this.

Helena heard the excitement in Alex's voice, but she didn't appreciate the importance of what the professor was saying.

Helena: I'm sorry. You have to go slower. Please. I don't understand what that means, and I'm gathering from your tone that this is important. You said the Fates are only pretending to help Zeus, but in reality they are on Aphrodite's side?

Helena felt hopeful about the idea that some other powerful beings, other goddesses, might be secretly working on behalf of Afrida. Maybe the alpha wolf would have some help as she tried to save her wife.

Alexis: Yes, I think so. But to understand how important this is you need some basic background. So let's start from the beginning, and by that I mean let's start from the beginning of _everything_.

Helena: Okay, I'm listening.

**# # # # #**

**_Professor Stavros Gives Helena a Brief History According to Greek Mythology_**

Alexis: In the very beginning of everything, before there were planets or sky or the earth, there was Chaos. Chaos was just this unformed mass of stuff. This is what the ancient Greeks believed about how the universe started. Then one day some entity suddenly created the first order out of Chaos. Let's call this very first entity the elusive spark of life. This spark of life was something like … an idea, a conscious thought. This spark of life formed that chaotic mass into stars and planets and galaxies, and so on. It was the first architect, the very first engineer.

Helena: Okay.

Alexis: Now after this first thought created the first organized matter, some of that matter became the first primordial beings. Specifically, those first beings were Gaia, which is the earth, and Uranus, which is the sky.

Helena: Okay, I'm following.

Alexis: Now Gaia and Uranus then gave birth to the very first gods and goddesses, the very first pantheon of godly rulers. They were called the Titans. There were many Titans and some of those Titans had children, so there were two generations of Titans. One of the gods born in the first generation of the Titans was Cronus.

Helena: Cronus was the son of Gaia and Uranus?

Alexis: Yes, that's right. Cronus came to power by overthrowing his father, Uranus. He became a great ruler, so great that his reign ushered in a time called the Golden Age. But Cronus was prophesied to suffer the same fate as his own father.

Helena: To be betrayed and overthrown by one of his children?

Alexis: Correct. Cronus became so paranoid about being overthrown by one of his children that he ate all of them soon after they were born.

Helena: What?!

Alexis: I know. It sounds barbaric and strange. But don't get too worked up about this part of the story. It's allegorical. The main point to take away is that Cronus betrayed his father, and then later, Cronus was betrayed by his own child.

Helena: How did that happen, if he … ate all his children?

Alexis: Well, Cronus's wife Rhea became despondent about losing all of her children. So finally, when Zeus was born, she replaced him with a rock to deceive Cronus and keep Zeus alive. Cronus ate the rock, thinking it was baby Zeus, and Zeus survived. He grew up and eventually betrayed his father, as foretold. In fact, Zeus fought in a war and overthrew all the Titans, and banished some of them to Tartarus, which is a kind of hell.

Zeus then became the supreme Olympian god, eventually presiding over his own new pantheon of gods and goddesses, his family, on Mount Olympus. And of course, that family included Zeus's wife Hera, and his children, which included Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, and Persephone. But, you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

Helena: Meaning what? That Zeus was always paranoid about being betrayed or overthrown by one of his enemies, or one of his own children?

Alexis: Exactly. Zeus was especially afraid that one of the Titans would escape the prison he'd put them in and seek revenge against him. And that is why I found it so odd that the Fates participated in helping Zeus punish Aphrodite.

Helena: Why?

Alex stood still as a statue in her apartment. She bit her bottom lip nervously. Finally, she took a deep breath and answered Helena.

Alexis: Because the Fates are Titans. They are part of the first group of gods that were betrayed and overthrown by Zeus. And not only are the Fates Titans, but Zeus did something pretty horrible to one of their brothers, Prometheus. Prometheus was the wisest Titan. He also used the spark of life to create human beings. Men, actually. He created only men.

Helena: Of course.

Alexis and Helena laughed a little at the predictable sexism of the story. Alexis had waited in anticipation when she mentioned the name Prometheus. She had expected some kind of reaction from Helena, but to her surprise, nothing.

Alexis: I know, right? Men are created first in so many myths. So after creating men, Prometheus disobeyed Zeus and gave mankind the gift of fire, which he stole by the way. For this crime, Zeus punished Prometheus by binding him in a kind of hell. Most stories say Zeus tied Prometheus to a giant rock. But not only did Zeus bind Prometheus to a rock, he sent a vulture to pick at Prometheus's liver. Every day the vulture ate his liver. Then the liver would grow back, and the next day the vulture would pick away at it again.

Helena: Ungh, that's disgusting. How long did Prometheus stay imprisoned?

Alexis: That depends on which myth you read. There are several. Some myths say he was bound forever. Other stories say Hercules or someone else rescued Prometheus, and eventually he reconciled with Zeus. Still other stories say Prometheus was released from his imprisonment, but he and Zeus remained enemies. To my surprise, Prometheus plays a prominent role in this myth, in _our _myth.

Helena: How?

Alexis: Our myth is incredible actually. It attempts to reconcile all of these past stories about Prometheus into a new harmonized myth. That's so very rare. I can't tell you how rare that is, Helena.

Our myth states that Hercules freed Prometheus and the Titan appeared to make up with Zeus, but the reconciliation wasn't real. Prometheus resumed his plans to elevate the stature of man, this time by manipulating doorways in the heavens that would allow humans to move back and forth, possibly accessing heavenly knowledge directly.

Zeus learned about Prometheus's plans, and imprisoned him again. But this time, Zeus tried to do a better job at binding him than he did the first time. This second time, Zeus banished Prometheus to earth once again, but this time he separated Prometheus into three parts. He then influenced human beings, Prometheus's own creations, to find those parts and encase them into separate prisons. Two separate prisons to be exact. The third part of Prometheus was left dormant.

Now, Prometheus is a being that carries within him the very spark of life itself. Remember, this same spark of life is what created the first order out of Chaos. The Titan used that spark to create human men. Accordingly, there is a part of Prometheus that is essentially the very essence of God, as it existed at the beginning of everything. So even though Zeus separated Prometheus into three parts, he couldn't truly sever him. The Titan was still … interconnected with himself, if that makes sense.

Our story starts at a time when Prometheus has already been separated into three parts and encased in two separate prisons. The story says that despite being separated, all three of Prometheus's parts were tied together by some kind of psychic connection. It looked something like a rope, or a cable. Zeus did the best he could to cut those cables, but he only succeeded with separating one part of Prometheus. He separated the dormant part of the Titan from the two parts of him that were imprisoned, and even that separation wasn't entirely complete.

Helena: I don't understand. How does what happened to Prometheus relate to what Aphrodite has to do to evolve and remember who she really is? I'm sorry, Alex. I need answers from you. I'm hoping that you can tell me something … anything … that helps me convince the Goddess of Love to give up sex. I've come to the conclusion, unless you can tell me some reason to think otherwise, that I can't make Aphrodite do anything she doesn't want to do. So she has to make this decision herself.

Alexis stood in her apartment and squeezed her eyes shut. She could hear Helena's impatience, but she had a job to do. She needed to tell Helena everything she needed to tell her. It was imperative that she get it all out before Helena got angry and hung up the phone. If she didn't get everything said, Helena was going to be in serious danger.

Alexis: You're right, Helena. You're absolutely right. And I'm sorry for leading you down that road. I gave you advice based on what I knew at the time. But now that I know more of the story, I see that Aphrodite is the one who has to choose to focus on something other than sex. She has to make that choice herself. I'm not saying that anything you've done up until now is wrong, but it's not going to be enough.

Helena: Okay. I guess it's comforting to know I'm not wrong about being unable to make my wife do anything. Maybe I can stop pissing her off, and getting myself hurt in the process. But does the story tell you what makes Aphrodite decide to give up sex and focus on her own development?

Alex frowned. She knew full well that the story provided the answer to Helena's question. That answer was in one sense simple, but in another sense very complicated.

Alexis: Yes. And no. And that is why I was hoping you would call me. I've translated more of the story, but the translation doesn't make complete sense to me. There are parts of it that seem allegorical. That's always the challenge when you're trying to interpret a religious myth … figuring out what to take literally versus what to take figuratively. I've developed some ideas, but I need your input. Some of it sounds too amazing to think about, actually.

Again, Helena could hear Alex trying to contain her excitement. The professor sounded like she knew a gigantic, juicy secret; but she was trying to figure out the best way to tell it so she didn't sound crazy. Alexis also sounded … nervous, scared about something.

Helena: Well, what does it say?

Alexis: It seems to say that the Fates, who are Titans, agreed to help Zeus cast Aphrodite down to earth. But they didn't do it to punish the goddess. They did it to send her on an assignment. And that assignment was for Aphrodite to rescue the Fates' Titan brother Prometheus, who was still bound, imprisoned on earth.

Helena: So are you saying that … that somehow I'm supposed to find Prometheus so that Aphrodite can save him?

Stavros took a deep breath. She and Helena were getting closer and closer to the part of this conversation that was going to send Helena off the deep end. Alexis chose her words very carefully.

Alexis: Actually, no. According to the story, Aphrodite finds Prometheus herself.

Helena frowned, confused. Then she noticed that Alexis had suddenly stopped talking. There were several minutes of silence, while Helena waited for Alex to say something.

**# # # # #**

**_The Story of Prometheus_**

Helena: Alexis, are you still there?

Alexis: Yes. Yes, I am. I'm just … I'm just trying to figure out how to explain this next part of the story. It's hard, because I don't fully understand it myself. And I don't want you to freak out, because I don't think it means what it looks like it means.

Helena: Well, thanks. I'm now freaking out.

Alexis: Okay, Helena. I'm sorry. I'll just say the whole story as I've translated it, and we can work through it. According to the translation I've done so far, Aphrodite falls to earth, where she is taken care of and nurtured by … three angels. In this context, I think the term "angels" just means that the goddess is helped by beings that aren't human. It's during this part of the story that we discover that the Fates are on Aphrodite's side.

But just after we learn about Aphrodite's banishment from the heavens and her fall to earth, the story flashes back to tell us about Prometheus. You see, Helena, when I spoke to you last month I thought the story was primarily about Aphrodite because I had only translated the first part. But since then I've translated more of the story; and now I know that a significant part of the story is also about Prometheus.

First off, the story is being narrated by one of the Fates - Lachesis, the Fate who is responsible for allotting people their destinies. This alone is an incredible feature of the myth, because it's as if the Fates are violating a fundamental rule and directly intervening in Prometheus's destiny, changing it. Maybe they do it because he is a Titan and not subject to the same rules about destiny as human beings. Or maybe they intervene on his behalf because Prometheus is their brother.

Anyway, the story, as narrated by Lachesis, tells us that long before Aphrodite fell to earth, Prometheus was imprisoned and tortured a second time by Zeus. Somehow, the Fates found out that Zeus had once again betrayed Prometheus. They … felt the pain of their brother as he was being tortured. The Fates devised a plan to save Prometheus. And they plotted revenge against Zeus.

Soon after discovering that Prometheus has been imprisoned on earth, one of the Fates, Lachesis, came to earth as a human woman to find him. She was born and grew up as a normal human would. In her human form, Lachesis didn't remember her identity, but she still acted like the Fate that she was. She administered destinies, both good and bad, to the humans she encountered. She also took a last name that evoked the idea of humans and destiny.

Lachesis navigated through various human relationships, until she made her way into circumstances that allowed her to have access to her brother. She found him while he was being tortured, and she stopped the torture. She tried to free Prometheus from his two prisons, but she couldn't do it.

Lachesis was shocked to find that this second time around, Zeus had not only separated Prometheus into three parts, but he had also psychologically tortured the Titan, and encased him in a very unique prison. Two prisons, actually. Prometheus was literally melded into these prisons, and it was impossible to separate him from them.

It's hard to understand, but I think the text is saying that when Prometheus was hurled to earth the second time and torn apart by Zeus, human beings found him. Zeus influenced the humans to encase two parts of Prometheus inside … two _living _prisons.

Helena (eyes widening): Living prisons? What does that mean?

Alexis: I'm not entirely sure, but I have an idea about what it may mean. These living prisons have two important characteristics, which I think give clues as to what they are. First, the prisons caused Prometheus a lot of discomfort because they conflicted with his core, fundamental nature. For example, Prometheus loved life, but these living prisons loved death. Proemetheus had a fondness for humans, but these living prisons disliked humans, or at least they didn't think of them fondly. Second, the same human beings who imprisoned Prometheus continued to control these living prisons; and the humans repeatedly tortured the Titan.

This entire experience drove Prometheus mad. He went insane for two reasons. First, he went mad because whatever this living prison was, it conflicted with his true nature. Second, Prometheus went mad because of the deep sense of hurt and betrayal he felt because of what human beings did to him. He created humans. He fought for their evolution. He willingly allowed himself to be punished for giving them the gift of fire. So he was deeply hurt when his own creations turned on him in such a sadistic way.

By the time Lachesis stopped Prometheus from being tortured, he was already insane. He no longer knew who he was. He was mentally damaged from the imprisonment and torture he had experienced for so long. And even though Lachesis stopped humans from torturing him, Prometheus was still encased and melded into the two living prisons. Lachesis did the best she could do to help her brother. She tried to teach him how to … exist and function in the state he was in. They travelled the earth together. But even though Prometheus was free to walk around, he was still imprisoned.

Oh, and you recall how during the first imprisonment, a vulture picked away at Prometheus's liver?

Helena: Yes, how could I forget that terrible imagery? The liver grew back every day, only to be eaten again and again.

Alexis: Exactly. Well, Prometheus suffered from a similar affliction during his second imprisonment. You see, when Lachesis found Prometheus being tortured, she not only stopped the torture, she also helped Prometheus avenge himself. Together, they killed every human who tortured the Titan, and some of the human torturers' family members. This was their destiny, and as a Fate, Lachesis was more than qualified to make Prometheus's torturers face their predetermined destiny.

But delivering destiny wasn't what Prometheus was created to do. He was created to be an engineer, an architect of life. So while a part of him relished the chance to seek revenge against his human torturers, the core of who he was felt extreme remorse over taking human life. He was a creator of life, not a taker of life. Prometheus felt lots of guilt over killing humans, even though these humans had tortured him relentlessly.

Prometheus was haunted both by memories of his torture, and by the memories of how he murdered his torturers. The ghosts of Prometheus's torturers never left him. They slowly picked away at his conscience and his soul during his second imprisonment, in much the same way that the vulture had picked away at his liver the first time he was imprisoned by Zeus. Prometheus tried everything to make the ghosts of his torturers go away. When she couldn't stand to see him suffer any longer, Lachesis sought the assistance of Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams.

Helena: Morpheus? How did he make the ghosts go away?

Alexis: Morpheus overpowered the human ghosts that haunted the mind of Prometheus by infusing his mind with psychedelic dreams that drowned out the ghosts. It got to the point where Prometheus couldn't function without a regular infusion of dreams from Morpheus. The drug morphine is named after Morpheus. So I guess, if you think about this in terms of a real life example, Prometheus became addicted to drugs.

Helena didn't like this story for some reason, but she wasn't exactly sure why. It deeply disturbed her. She wanted Alexis to stop talking about Prometheus. She had asked the professor to tell her about how to help Aphrodite, but Alexis just kept talking on and on about Prometheus. And Helena didn't want to hear it anymore.

Helena (sounding agitated): Alexis, can we please get back to Aphrodite?

Alexis paced and absently bit her lip. This was the part she was expecting to be difficult. She could hear the edginess in Helena's voice. She resisted the urge to change the subject. It was imperative for Helena's sake that she finish the story.

Alexis: Yes, I will in just a moment. But this is very important, Helena. And I promise you that it relates to Aphrodite. After many years of traveling together, Lachesis realized that she couldn't help Prometheus. She had tried everything she could think of to heal him. This included sexual healing. Lachesis and Prometheus had a sexual relationship for many years, and Lachesis, who was not designed to have feelings, fell deeply in love with him. But Prometheus remained always a tormented being.

Helena: But you said Lachesis and Prometheus were siblings.

Alexis: They were. Sex between siblings wasn't unusual among Greek gods. For example, Zeus was married to his sister, Hera. Besides, Lachesis didn't know she was related to Prometheus when they had sex. Remember, I told you that Lachesis lost her memory when she became human.

After many years of dishing out punishments and death to humans, Prometheus became so despondent that he wanted to die. He begged for relief from his guilt. Lachesis realized that her being around Prometheus was hurting him more than helping him. So even though she loved him deeply, in a romantic sexual way, she decided to leave him and eventually return to the heavens.

Lachesis figured out that while she couldn't free Prometheus from his living prisons, she could change the configuration of those prisons. So that's what she did.

Helena (sounding edgy): How did she do that?

Alexis: Remember that when Zeus separated Prometheus, he was only able to separate the dormant part of Prometheus from the two parts that were awake and imprisoned. The two imprisoned parts were joined by something resembling a cable or a rope, a kind of psychic connection. Lachesis changed the configuration of these three parts so that Prometheus could be functional.

First, she figured out a way to separate the connection between the two imprisoned parts of the Titan. She cut off a piece of the psychic cable that connected those two parts, and locked it away. She also found the connections that had joined the two imprisoned parts of Prometheus to the dormant part of him, and locked that away in the same container.

Next she split apart the identity of Prometheus. She separated the memories in his mind from the feelings in his heart. She stored his memories in one part of the Titan and his feelings and heart in the other. The part of Prometheus that stored his heart became something like command central for all three parts. It was the strongest of the three, the lead part. The alpha.

This separation cut off the nightmares and human spirits that haunted him. This also enabled Prometheus to function and be happy, and he no longer needed the help of Morpheus to drown out the painful memories of torture and murder. Finally, Lachesis gave all three parts of Prometheus a new name and an entirely new identity. She erased every memory of who he was and the tortures that he was subjected to, or so she thought.

Helena: What does that mean?

Alexis: Prometheus, on some level, had an undying urge to find himself. Again, this is because he could never truly be severed from himself. After some time, Prometheus again became despondent. Lachesis figured out that he longed for his true self. To deal with this, she tried to give him what he longed for.

Helena: How?

Alexis: She did it by awakening the part of Prometheus that had been lying dormant and connecting him to that part of himself. Lachesis used most of the same living material that was used to encase the first two parts of Prometheus years earlier to encase the third part. But the third part's living prison was a little different. This newly awakened part was the closest thing to what Prometheus truly was. It was a perfect reflection of the purest aspects of the first two parts of him. Lachesis connected this newly awakened part of Prometheus to the part of him that contained the heart. Unfortunately, she couldn't connect the other part of Prometheus, the part that housed the memories, because this would have undone the configuration that made it possible for Prometheus to function and be happy.

I guess you could say it was like, this newly awakened part of the Titan was a baby and Prometheus gave birth to himself. The two older parts were the parents; and the younger part that had been dormant for many years was the child. When the two original parts of Prometheus gazed upon this newly awakened third part of himself, they felt at peace. They felt more complete than they had before, which took away the despondency, at least for a long time.

Helena: That sounds like a perfect solution.

Alexis: No, it was an imperfect, temporary solution. Prometheus was still encased in living prisons. In fact, he now was encased in three prisons instead of two. He just didn't know it consciously. But remember, Prometheus held the spark of life, the very essence of God. He therefore could never be truly severed. He could be separated, but never severed. So periodically, Prometheus _remembered _what happened to him and that he was in prison, and he would try to make his mind forget. Eventually, this caught up with Prometheus, and he was forced to deal with what happened to him.

Helena's eyes darted back and forth as she processed what Alexis was telling her. She was feeling really agitated now. And worse, she was craving … something, but she didn't know what it was. She also was having trouble concentrating on what Alexis was saying. She didn't want to talk about this anymore, but Alexis kept talking.

Alexis was in Athens gripping the phone. She was listening intently, trying to guage Helena's emotional state. She could tell Helena was getting increasingly agitated, but she kept moving forward with the story. There was no easy way to do what she had to do.

Alexis: Lachesis realized that she couldn't help Prometheus, so she returned to the heavens. She had lived for years as a human woman, even marrying and having children. But those children were never meant to operate in the world. They were Fates, and it violated the rules to have them living among humans, so her human family line was cut off and their spirits returned to the heavens.

Lachesis left one child of Destiny behind to serve as a bridge between heaven and earth, until she could come up with a solution to free Prometheus from his prison. That child's sole purpose was to help persuade Aphrodite to save Prometheus. Once that child completed his assignment, he died.

**# # # # #**

**_Aphrodite and Pandora's Box_**

Now the story returns to a discussion of Aphrodite. We learn that it is the goddess of love who reignites the psychic connections between the three parts of Prometheus that were separated, first by Zeus and later by Lachesis.

Helena (sounding really agitated): Wh-what?! How does she do that?

Alexis (soothingly): Remember that I said Lachesis cut a piece of the psychic cable and placed it in a special container?

Helena: Yes.

Alexis: Well, the reason why that container was special is because it was Pandora's jar. Do you know the story of Pandora's jar, Helena?

Helena: Don't you mean Pandora's _box_?

Alexis: Well, it was actually a jar. But since most people think it was a box, let's call it a box. Do you know the story of Pandora's box? The most popular one, I mean; because there are actually several stories.

Helena (fidgety): Yes, a little, I guess. Pandora was the first human woman every created. She carried a box with her that she wasn't supposed to open, but she was curious and she opened it. When Pandora peeked inside the box, she accidentally unleashed pain, suffering and death onto the earth.

Alexis: Yes. Zeus asked Hephaestus, who was Aphrodite's first husband, to create Pandora out of clay. Oh, by the way, Aphrodite detested Hephaestus. She thought he was physically ugly and morally deficient. She eventually left him for Ares. Of course, Ares turned out to have his own set of problems, including extreme jealousy and a bad temper; so Aphrodite eventually left him, too.

Helena didn't find much comfort in this. She was too distracted and bothered by the story of Prometheus. And now she was thinking about Aphrodite, and what the hell she was doing with Pandora's box.

Helena: Wait, why did Zeus and Hephaestus make the first woman? I thought Prometheus made human beings.

Alexis: Ahhh, but remember Prometheus only made men. He never got the chance to make women because Zeus imprisoned him for stealing fire and giving it to the human men he created. So it was Zeus and Hephaestus who created the first woman, Pandora. They introduced women into the world.

Helena: I see. _Alexis told me that Prometheus only made men. What's wrong with me? Why didn't I remember that?_

Alexis: So anyway, Pandora was very beautiful and gifted. Zeus sent Pandora to earth to marry Prometheus's brother, Epimetheus. Epimetheus was a lonely, shy man. He would never have been able to attract a woman as beautiful and dynamic as Pandora without help from the gods.

Helena: Why did Zeus make Pandora for Epimetheus? He liked him that much?

Alexis: No, he didn't like him at all. Zeus orchestrated this whole thing with Pandora as an elaborate plot against Prometheus. He really hated how much Prometheus loved humans, and that he stole fire and gave it to them. For a short time, humans … well, human _men_, lived a happy carefree existence on earth. There was no sadness or disease or death. Zeus hated this, so he sent Pandora, the first human woman, to earth. Pandora was supposedly sent as a gift, a peace offering to the Titan Epimetheus.

But Zeus's real motivation was simply to send Pandora to earth so that she could open the box and unleash misery and death into Prometheus's wonderful creation. Zeus knew Pandora's curiosity about what was in the box would get the better of her, and when it did Pandora inadvertently unleashed misery, suffering and death into human lives. That was Zeus's revenge against the creations of Prometheus. Zeus had a penchant for punishing Prometheus by punishing humans, the beloved creations of the Titan. And of course, Zeus punished Prometheus directly by binding him in a kind of hell from which he was never to escape.

Helena: Hmm. essentially, men were living wonderful, happy lives until women showed up and made everything terrible? So women are to blame for human misery?

Alexis: Yes, unfortunately it's not hard to see the sexism in some of these myths.

Helena: And Prometheus's psychic connections are trapped in Pandora's box?

Alexis: Yes. Lachesis acquired the box after Pandora opened it. She used the box to store the pieces of psychic cable that connected Prometheus's three separated parts. Her goal was to keep the Titan's memories and feelings separated, so that he would be functional and less tormented by the prison he was in. She wanted to keep him that way until she could find help, someone to free Prometheus once and for all.

Helena: And did she find a way to do this?

Alexis: Yes, Helena. She did. And this is the part of the story where things really … get interesting. The Fates came to believe that Aphrodite was uniquely qualified to save Prometheus. When they learned that Zeus was looking for a solution to address the conflict between Aphrodite and the other goddesses, they used this conflict as an opportunity to banish Aphrodite to earth. But their real goal wasn't to punish the goddess. It was to send Aphrodite to earth so that she could free their brother. They also planned as part of all this to get revenge on Zeus by defeating him.

Helena: But how can the Fates defeat Zeus? I thought you said that Zeus is the most powerful god?

Alexis: No, careful. I said that Zeus was the most powerful _Olympian god_. I didn't say he was necessarily more powerful than a Titan, even though he did defeat them in a war. The Fates are Titans. Zeus worried constantly that the Titans could one day defeat him, and this worry shaped a lot of his political decisions. Greek myth actually says no god or goddess is more powerful than destiny. So in a sense, the Fates are the most powerful beings. They are more powerful than Zeus himself. But usually, their powers are constrained because they follow certain strict rules.

Helena: Like making a person's destiny inescapable once it is created?

Alexis: Yes. Exactly. Except in our myth, the Fates _are_ intervening and making changes to Prometheus's destiny, and maybe Aphrodite's destiny, as well. It was the Fates who devised the deal that if Aphrodite evolved while she was banished to earth, then she gains more than 1,000 times her power. The Fates alone had the ability to give Aphrodite this kind of power. They crafted a new destiny for her, which required her to come to earth and save Prometheus.

The tricky part was that the Fates had to both give guidance to Aphrodite about helping Prometheus, but at the same time they had to be careful not to let Zeus find out. And they had the added problem of the goddess not remembering her identity. The Fates determined that there was only one way to get Aphrodite to do what they needed her to do for Prometheus without knowing her identity or really knowing what she was doing.

Helena: And what was that?

Professor Stavros braced herself. This was the part that was going to cause Helena to go absolutely insane. There was no way around it. Alexis had to go through with it. She took a deep breath, then spoke.

Alexis: Helena, please just try to listen to me. Please stay calm.

Helena felt her heart pounding, but she managed to sound as calm as she could.

Helena: Just tell me, Alex.

Alexis: The Fates determined that Aphrodite had to … love Prometheus. And she had to love all three parts of him, so much that she would be willing to give everything in her power to save him. The Fates tied their destinies together and-"

Helena: What? No! Wh-what are you saying? Are you saying that Aphrodite is going to fall in love with Prometheus? That she's going to fall in love with … someone else?

Helena Wolfe felt her chest clinch with a stabbing pain that felt like a heart attack. Tears filled her eyes. She tried not to hyperventilate, but it was no use. She was spiraling out of control, and fast. She couldn't emotionally deal with the thought that Aphrodite was destined to fall in love with someone else.

Helena breathed in and out, but it wasn't doing any good. She couldn't calm down. She thought about the idea of Aphrodite and Prometheus. She had worried that once Aphrodite regained her memory, she would leave her and M; but she had put that thought out of her mind. She had hoped against all odds that she could keep her goddess wife after she saved her. She and Afrida and M had taken vows. They had promised each other that they would be together forever. Forever.

But now Helena was being told that the story, which she believed was playing out in real time, said Aphrodite returned to her old life among the gods, with a new lover. And not just any lover, a powerful Titan. When Helena thought about it, the outcome made sense. Why would Aphrodite, knowing she was a goddess, ever want to stay married to a werewolf/vampire/fairy/maenad/organic android hybrid? Helena was supernatural, but she wasn't a god. There was no way she could compete with that.

Helena started crying openly and uncontrollably. She was panicking, and losing herself fast. The idea of Aphrodite leaving her was too much. The alpha wolf curled up on the floor in a tight tearful ball and clutched her cell phone. She was so agitated that she didn't hear Alexis repeatedly calling her name.

Alexis: Helena! Helena! Stop it! You have to calm down and listen to me! Stop .. stop crying and listen to me! Please. Helena! It's not what you think!

**# # # # #**

**_Washington, DC: Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_M and Afrida in Afrida's Apartment_**

M opened the door and stepped inside Afrida's Washington, DC apartment. He strolled a few feet, kneeled and unlaced both shoes, then left them neatly just outside the hallway closet. He carried his briefcase and a garment bag to the master bedroom. He was off in his own thoughts as he unpacked three uniforms and other clothing and stored them in closets and drawers. He removed his uniform jacket and hung it up, as well. Then he lined up his toiletries, which were destined for the bathroom.

M stood for several minutes and gazed out of the window, thinking. He remembered the last time he observed this window. Afrida had been distraught, so upset that she had somehow turned this window into a montage of photographic memories. He touched a dresser, assuring himself that it was indeed solid and rooted to the floor. He remembered how it had once hovered in the air, seeming light as a feather. M was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear the movement behind him.

"Hello, my love," said Afrida's voice.

M turned to see his beautiful wife, still dressed in her uniform. Her beautiful blonde hair was down, lush ringlet curls draping her shoulders. Afrida watched M from the bedroom entrance, leaning slightly against the doorjamb. He smiled at her.

M said warmly, "Hi, dear. I didn't know you were here. The apartment is so quiet."

Afrida murmured, "Hmm, I was in the kitchen, preparing garnishments for dinner. I decided to wait until you arrived to make a decision about what meal to prepare. I wanted us to have a romantic dinner at home. No restaurants and crowds. Just us."

M strolled over to Afrida and pulled her gently into his arms. He kissed her. He intended the kiss to be warm and loving, but his amorous wife had other ideas. She prolonged and deepened the kiss, exploring his lips and mouth with her tongue. M followed his wife's lead. His hands roamed over Afrida's voluptuous body, and he slowly unbuttoned her jacket. Just as her husband began a slow trail of kisses up and down her neck, the goddess gasped and took a step back from her husband.

Afrida smiled when she saw the look on M's face. His emerald green eyes were a little wide, silently asking why she had broken off the kissing and fondling, just as he was getting into it. His close-cropped, jet-black hair was ruffled from her hands combing a random pattern across his scalp as she kissed him. She decided that in that moment, General MacArthur Stoker looked more adorable than commanding, and she loved it.

The goddess breathed out, "Hmm, if I don't stop kissing you, you're not going to get any dinner, and I most definitely want you nourished."

M smiled sheepishly and pecked Afrida on the lips, then strolled to the kitchen. He peeked inside the refrigerator and frowned. He observed, a bit confused, "Uhm, you seem to have a lot of salad and … triple jolt cola?"

Afrida laughed and said, "Yes, I had two house guests last night, and those are some of their favorite things."

M asked, "House guests? Who like a combination of green salad and triple jolt cola, and … lots of candy?"

Afrida replied, "Yes, my favorite Weretortoises, little Terri Curry, and his new girlfriend Terra Harris are officially not virgins anymore. And you're standing in the setting that helped make it all happen."

M looked around, as if surveying the apartment for evidence of lost virginities.

Afrida mused, "Those two tortoises turned out to be quite horny. I think they christened my entire apartment in less than 24 hours. But don't worry. I came home early to take care of all the vestiges of their romantic tryst, including fresh sheets and towels."

M replied, "Well, good for them. And nice of you to facilitate their … union."

M proceeded to fill a big bowl full with green salad. He grabbed two plates from a cabinet and took them to the table. He opened the fridge and frowned as he regarded the triple jolt cola, but took a can of it anyway.

Afrida abruptly asked, "What are you doing?"

M casually said, "I'm making us some dinner."

Afrida grabbed the bowl of salad out of M's hands and said, "This isn't dinner. I told you I was making you dinner. I was just waiting so we could discuss what you wanted."

M paused, unsure of how to answer. Helena was the primary cook in their family. Afrida made excellent salads and garnished food beautifully, but she didn't do major cooking. He also had surveyed the contents of the refrigerator, which contained only fruits and salads. No meat, which was M's food of choice.

Finally, M said, "The salad is wonderful, dear. Let's just eat."

But the goddess wasn't having it. She objected, "MacArthur, we've been married for more than six decades, and I've never known you to eat just a salad for dinner. At least not by choice. You're a rare steak kind of man. You eat like a wolf."

"But you don't eat meat," M said.

Afrida corrected, "So? Just because I don't personally eat red meat doesn't mean I can't prepare it."

M went to open the freezer portion of the fridge, which looked full of vegetables. No meat. He said, "Afrida, there's no meat in the freezer. Let's just eat the salad. I'm fine with that."

Afrida batted M's hand and slammed the freezer shut. The vampire wolf soldier then found himself being pulled out of the kitchen. He tested things a bit by planting his feet, trying to make himself immovable. Afrida paused momentarily, then jerked him forward with more force. She never looked back. _She's strong._

The goddess pushed her husband on the sofa and straddled his lap. She locked eyes with him and said, "First rule, stay out of my fridge. As a matter of fact, stay out of my kitchen. Second rule, I am preparing you a meal right now. And not just any meal, an exciting meal. Something that you really want to eat. Besides me, that is."

M cautiously said, "Ok-okay, dear."

Afrida asked pleasantly, "What would you like? Tell me."

M didn't know how to answer. He really wanted meat, but he didn't think a meat-based meal was possible. He said, "Hmm, just anything you have in there is fine. You make really great vegetables, and …uhm, maybe some rice, if that's not too much trouble."

Afrida now sounded more than a little annoyed when she said, "M. For the last time, I told you I'm preparing you a meal that you will love. You don't love rice and vegetables. I just need you to tell me what you want. What's the problem? I know Helena normally does all the major cooking. Are you saying that you think only Helena can cook you a delicious, meaty meal?

The goddess's eyes flashed a bit of sunlight, which sent a burst of panic through M. He instinctively pushed his back into the sofa and blurted out, "N-n-no. No! I'm not saying that at all!"

M remembered what his goddess wife did to him the last time she was pissed off, and he didn't want to revisit the experience. He reached up and held Afrida's face in his hands. Her eyes weren't exactly glowing at the moment, but they seemed just a tad brighter, and she was frowning. Not good.

M gently exhaled, calming his racing heart. His fingers caressed his wife's face. He used feathery touches to close Afrida's eyes. He gently ghosted his fingers over her eyelids and brows as he kissed her lips. M caressed his wife's neck and face until she calmed down, planting soft kisses on her face and neck. Afrida slowly opened her eyes, which were once again their normal ocean blue.

M gently said, "Now. Sweetheart. Let's just stay calm and … listen. Please. You are a wonderful, wonderful cook. And no one makes food beautiful like you do. I didn't see any meat in the fridge, and I was j-just t-trying to keep you from going to t-too much trouble. I didn't want you to go to the grocery store or anything like that. B-because you said you really wanted to just stay home tonight. That's all I was thinking. Honestly."

MacArthur's thoughtfulness made Afrida smile. To M's surprise, his goddess wife's mood suddenly improved and she kissed him passionately. In between kisses, he breathed a big sigh of relief.

Afrida broke off a kiss and ruffled M's hair. She said lovingly, "MacArthur, I am happy to prepare a delicious meal for my adoring husband. I want to do that for you. Now, stop worrying about the contents of my fridge and let's pretend. Let's pretend it's a perfect world. A perfect world. Now … in this perfect world, what would my darling husband like to have for his dinner?"

M thought for a moment. _Quit protesting and just say what you want before she blasts you. _M mused, "I …I'd love a hamburger, an extra large, juicy hamburger, one with lots and lots of meat in it. I'd love it rare, almost raw. With everything on it, including mushrooms and tomatoes and pickles and lettuce, and extra cheese."

Afrida was kissing M's neck and rubbing his chest as he spoke. She murmured into his neck in between kisses, "And how about a fried egg on top. Like the burger you had at the Tiki Bar that time? You really loved that burger, didn't you?"

M leaned his head back to give Afrida better access to his neck and said, "Y'yes, that sounds wonderful. And French fries. No, sweet potato fries."

Afrida's hand trailed down M's stomach, then brushed over his crotch. She asked dreamily, "Like the ones we had at that epicurean restaurant in San Francisco?"

M responded softly, feeling a little heady from his wife's romantic attentions, "Yes, those are my favorite. And red wine."

Afrida's hands were caressing her Cuddly Bear's chest. She gazed lovingly at M and crooned, "Okay. You just wait right here. Dinner will be served shortly. I love you. I'm so glad you're here with me."

"I love you, too, dear. So much," M answered. Afrida kissed MacArthur one last time, then extricated herself from his lap and strolled into the kitchen. She shook her tresses merrily as she walked. For a brief moment, M thought he saw her float a little.

M situated himself on the sofa and closed his eyes. He listened to his wife's movements in the kitchen. It didn't take long for his android mind to start working. He was sure he hadn't seen any of the ingredients for the meal he just requested in Afrida's kitchen. And yet his wife was humming happily and moving back and forth in the kitchen. She seemed to be preparing the meal. M frowned, wondering if he would eventually hear some indication of a thwarted mission. But his wife just kept humming and moving throughout the kitchen. The energy emanating from her was positive.

No more than fifteen minutes later, M heard Afrida calling to him that dinner was served. He opened his eyes. He stood and looked at the dining table, feeling a bit dazed and confused, so much so that he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The table was beautifully set, and a plate at the head of the table displayed a beautifully garnished hamburger and sweet potato fries. A glass of red wine had been poured and the bottle was resting in a tiny metal bucket next to his plate.

M walked to the table and sat down. Afrida sat perpendicular to her husband. She had removed her uniform jacket and untucked her dress shirt. The shirt's unfastened buttons revealed her ample cleavage. Both she and M were in sock feet. Afrida played footsie with M as she leaned into her own plate of vegetables and salad.

M took a bite of his burger. His eyes widened in a mixture of pleasure and surprise. He exclaimed, "This tastes exactly like the burgers they serve at the Tiki Bar in Hawaii."

"Hmm mmm," the goddess mused merrily.

M tasted his fries and said, "And the fries . These taste exactly like the ones I had at that restaurant in San Francisco."

"Hmm mmm," Afrida agreed happily. "Take a sip of your wine."

M did as he was told. His eyes widened again. He exclaimed, "This is the wine we had in Tuscany. But wait, they don't let you take this out of the country. We tried."

Afrida smiled mischievously and said, "I have my top secret methods of exporting goods. Are you enjoying your dinner, MacArthur?"

"Yes, very much," M said between bites of his burger.

Afrida happily ate her vegetables and salad while she watched M enjoy his meal. They ate in comfortable silence for several minutes.

Then Afrida said, "You know, I was thinking. I do plan to make passionate love with you for several hours after dinner. But at some point, we'll both be … sated. We'll be calm enough for a tantric union."

"Hmm?" M grunted as he chewed. "Tantric union?"

"Yes," Afrida repeated. "Remember what we were working on before. Before Helena started all this maenad … stuff. We were going to try and work on awakening your inner fairy and maenad aspects. I was going to attempt to strengthen your Were bond … your psychic connection to Helena and Quinn. Would you like to try tonight? We were so close the last time we tried. I really think I may be able to do it this time."

M stopped eating and thought for a moment. For some reason, his heart was racing. He told himself he was just nervous with excitement. He tried to fathom the prospect of being able to feel Helena and Quinn inside him, to be able to communicate with his wife and son the way that they communicated with each other. M longed for this, and sometimes felt sad because this connection was missing.

But for some reason, the idea that he might suddenly have those connections later tonight scared him. He had a sense of …foreboding; but he shook it off. He felt for a moment like he should make up some excuse and delay this little experiment. Maybe he should tell Afrida he'd try another time. They could just make love all night.

Afrida said, "I think I figured out what the problem has been. In order for me to really connect with you and get inside your psychic self, I need to … be close to you. But the only times we've ever tried this have been after I've made love with _both _you and Helena. I'm connecting with both of you, but not deeply enough with you to fully go inside you psychically, if that makes sense."

"I guess it does," M said slowly, still trying to figure out why his heart was pounding and he felt scared.

Afrida continued, "But tonight will be the first time in a long time … I think since we've been trying to reawaken your psychic connections … that you and I alone will be making love. I can focus entirely on you and getting really connected with you. That will allow me to go inside you in a way I've never done before."

M was still trying to calm his heart. He sat quietly and listened to his wife. He understood what Afrida was saying about the two of them being able to really connect, and he also believed she could really succeed tonight. And it frightened him immensely.

Afrida mused, "I'm excited. For some reason, I feel like something really big will happen tonight. I think we'll finally awaken major parts of you. Maybe something good will actually come out of this whole thing Helena's doing. Whatever that is."

Afrida looked up. For the first time she noticed that her husband wasn't saying anything. She studied him and saw that he looked perturbed. She sensed his unease.

Afrida pushed just a little, "MacArthur, I can see that you're nervous. That's normal. I'm presenting the prospect of an existence you've never known, a psychic connection with Helena and Quinn."

Except something deep within the recesses of M's mind told him that wasn't exactly true. It wasn't true that he had never known a psychic connection with Helena and Quinn. Some part of him felt that there had once been such a connection. It had been a very strong connection, but something happened. What was it?

M ate his food and did what he always did when he felt confused or anxious. He traveled into the safety of his android mind. He mentally strolled from room to room, until he happened upon a tiny space tucked away in the corner of his mind. M rarely visited this tiny room. It felt claustrophobic, and smelled a little dank. For some reason, he stood and looked around. This space was like the attic in an elderly great aunt's house, full of dusty, long-forgotten memories.

**_~~ Low level background music (Tubular Bells by Michael Oldfield, Part I – Exorcist Soundtrack Version)_**

Nothing looked particularly noteworthy. There were files along the wall of this mental room. He couldn't remember exactly what they contained. He touched one of those files, thinking that maybe he would browse its contents. But part of him didn't want to do that, and that part of him spoke with a louder voice than the part of him that was curious to explore. M left the file alone and just looked around.

He decided that maybe nothing in this little dusty corner of his mind was really that important. He turned to leave. As he did, he walked through a foggy mist. That fog was thick enough to obscure his lower legs. But had M looked just a little closer, he would have seen that there was a pattern weaving its way through that fog. It was a faint line that looked like a cable or a rope.

This ghost of a cable stretched out from M's android mind. It flowed out and out, beyond his body. A little piece of it was missing, like it had been cut. But on the other side of that missing part, the cable picked up again and stretched out into the distance. If M had noticed the cable, and used his keen vampire vision to see where it lead, he would have seen that broken connection splintering into two sections, and entering two familiar bodies – Helena and Quinn.

But M stepped through the fog in that tiny, dusty room and walked out. His legs passed through that shadowy cable as he exited. Even though that cable was right in front of him, he never noticed it. It was hidden in plain sight, so much so that if it had been a snake it would have bitten him.

M came out of his head and once again focused on his wife. Afrida was sitting quietly regarding him. He guessed that she was waiting for him to address her remark about his nervousness, but that trek through his android mind had calmed him down a bit. He thought about telling Afrida he just wanted to make love, but there was that part of him … it was deep within the core of himself … that wanted those connections reawakened.

M had the strangest feeling of wanting to run in two directions at the same time. Part of him wanted to run away from this thing Afrida was proposing. But an equally insistent part of him wanted to embrace it. M was normally a decisive man. It was the oddest feeling to know that no matter what he decided to do with Afrida tonight, a big part of him would be reluctant and uncertain.

The fearless wolf vampire soldier didn't like indecision. At some point, a person has to go left or right and live with the consequences. M was almost sure that this exercise with Afrida wouldn't be an awakening, but a _reawakening_. This felt like a choice between the past and the future.

M thought about his past and suddenly realized that he couldn't remember very much about certain parts of it. In fact, he couldn't see much of anything that happened prior to 1935, the year that he and Helena conceived Quinn. That part of his mind, which was typically razor sharp, was hazy and ill-defined. _Why was that?_

Afrida interrupted M's thoughts and asked, "It's okay, M. I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'm personally excited, but this is about you. Just tell me."

More than indecision, M's android mind hated incomplete information. More and more, he felt that reawakening these connections was also going to unlock his past. He felt the familiar fear once again creeping into him.

But this time, M bolstered his resolve and said, "Yes, I want to do this. I … need to do this. Let's try tonight."

**# # # # **

**_Sonoran Desert – Sedona, Arizona: Thursday, September 9, 2010_**

**_Mission Strategies Implementation Group (MSIG - Work Sector 2)_**

**_Alexis Tells Helena Something Incredible About Herself_**

**_~~ Low level background music (Tubular Bells by Michael Oldfield, Part I – Exorcist Soundtrack Version)_**

Helena managed to get her crying down to a soft steady stream. She breathed rapidly, trying desperately to calm herself. She also was suddenly aware that her team was just outside her locked door. She definitely didn't want them to hear her. This motivated Helena to get herself together.

Helena calmed down enough to hear Alexis, who was screaming her name. Helena put the phone back to her ear and just breathed. Alexis waited several minutes until Helena sounded calm enough to focus on what she was saying.

Alexis: Helena, please listen to me. Try to take in what I'm about to tell you. It's going to shock you, but it's extremely important. I know what I just told you about Aphrodite and Prometheus. But I'm convinced that the story isn't saying that Aphrodite is going to fall in love with someone else. She fell in love with you.

Helena abruptly stopped crying. Her mind clung hopefully to the words Alexis had just said. But she didn't understand them. Her android brain needed to understand what Alexis was saying before she could feel any real relief.

Helena: But you just said that Aphrodite falls in love with Prometheus, so how can-"

Alexis: Because you are Prometheus, Helena. Prometheus is you.

Helena had been pacing the floor. She stopped dead in her tracks. Her heartbeat pounded in her head, and she felt like she might faint. She didn't believe there was something that could induce more panic than the thought of Afrida falling in love with someone else. But apparently that wasn't true, because Alexis had done just that by telling Helena this absurd lie.

Helena suddenly felt a torrent of anger. She concluded that Alexis was crazy, and she had been crazy to go along with her on this bullshit maenad ride.

Helena(whispering): You're crazy.

Alexis (calmly): I know this is going to sound insane, Helena. But please just hear me out. You've been trying to keep your wife at bay sexually, presumably because you truly believe that your wife is Aphrodite, and that what's in our little story is really happening. In other words, you believe that the myth I've been translating is more than just a story about something that happened a long time ago. You believe it's happening right now. If that's really true, then our story may be a myth, but that's not all that it is. It's also a prophecy about Aphrodite's future, which means part of this story has to be about you.

Helena: What the fuck does that mean, Alex?

For some reason, the hair on the back of Helena's neck stood up. Helena now desperately wanted to get off the phone. She was anxious about what Alex was going to say next.

For her part, Alex was pushing herself to move forward. She had said the hardest part. She now needed to keep Helena on the phone and engaged long enough for her to plant the seeds of belief in her mind. She had to ignore Helena's anger. She expected it. She just needed to keep Helena on the phone as long as possible.

Alexis: It means that if you really believe this story is relevant to what is going on with your wife right now because she is the goddess Aphrodite, then one of the characters in this story has to be you. You _have _to be in this story, Helena, because you are such an important part of the goddess's life. I read the story with that requirement in mind, and I think … I believe I've found you in the story. At first I couldn't see you, but now I do. You are Prometheus.

It's ironic. When we spoke in the cave in Cyprus, our worry was that Aphrodite would hurt you. Now my worry is that you will hurt her. You are much stronger than I first believed because I now understand what you are. But thankfully, your Promethean self is weakened by its living prison.

Helena felt her throat tighten. She felt perspiration coating her forehead and thick black eyebrows. The alpha wolf didn't want to know anything about what the story may or may not say about her. But she resisted the urge to hang up the phone and cut off the conversation. Alexis took advantage of Helena's silence and kept talking.

Alexis: I knew this would be impossible for you to accept, at least initially. In fact, the reaction you're having right now is predicted by the story. According to the translation, Prometheus, in the guise of his new identity given to him by the Fate Lachesis, seeks to find his true self. His search leads him to a muse, who sends him off to help Aphrodite. We later learn that this quest will also lead Prometheus to discover his own forgotten identity. A muse is another word for a teacher, one who holds and departs knowledge.

Helena: A professor? Hahaha. So not only am I in your little story, but you are, as well? How fucking wonderful. Now I know you're crazy. Look, Alexis, it sounds like you've made an incredible discovery. I don't need to know anything about Antiquities to understand that finding an ancient writing that tells a never before heard of myth in your field of study is a big fucking deal. But that's not enough for you, is it? It's not enough for you to find a new myth. For some reason, you need to make the story a prophecy, too. And what's even worse, you're so narcissistic that you need to see yourself in the story, too! Wasn't Narcissus a Greek god, too? Maybe _you're_ him. Maybe you're not. But you're definitely fucking crazy.

Alexis (calmly): I'm not crazy, Helena. And you don't really believe I'm crazy. You're just scared by what I'm telling you. You don't want to believe me. But it seems to be my destiny to help you with this. You need to listen to what I'm saying, because you can't save Aphrodite and she can't save you if you don't come to believe who you are.

Helena: Fuck you. I'm hanging up now.

Alexis: Helena, don't! Listen, I have proof. When we talked in that cave in Cyprus, you didn't tell me anything about your family, did you? Did you?!

Helena: No, so what?

Alexis: So, I've deduced certain things about you just from reading this story. Just from my belief that you are Prometheus. I'm going to tell them to you now. If I'm wrong, you can hang up the phone and go on with your life. You never have to speak to me again. But if I'm right, then you need to keep listening to me.

Helena took a deep breath. She wanted to hang up, but Alexis held her with those words. Alexis tensed, then exhaled when Helena didn't hang up the phone. She prayed that she was right in her conclusions.

Alexis (calmly and confidently): Do you live with … your wife Aphrodite … alone? I don't think you do, Helena. I think that when Aphrodite fell to earth and into your life however many years ago, you already were part of a family. And this family included three people – you, a husband and a son.

I think that humans created the three of you. They combined the same five components to create you and your husband, including something you referred to as an organic android. This makes you and your husband almost twins. You're not quite twins, because the percentages of the five components are different in you and your husband.

And your son is even more different. He is comprised of most of the same parts as you and your husband, but he has one component that is different. And your son is made of much more of the organic android than either you or your husband.

You, your husband and son are genetically derived from most of the same beings, except for the one different part that comprises your son. But the base building block for all three of you is Prometheus. At one time, the three of you were one person, but now you are three. You will never be one person again, but the three of you are as close as it is possible for three separate beings to be.

You, your husband and son also look very similar, so much so that it is striking when one sees the three of you together. Since I've only met you, and not your husband or your son, I am guessing that like you, the two of them have pitch-black hair that dips into a widow's peak. All three of you have the same piercing emerald-green eyes, and all of you are tall. Like a Titan. Your son is probably taller than both you and your husband, because he is comprised of more Promethean matter than either of you.

Helena was utterly shocked. Alexis was right about her family. Helena's android mind rapidly replayed the conversation between her and Alexis. She thought she must have told Alexis about her family, but she hadn't.

Alexis: I'll take your silence and the fact that you're still listening to me to mean I'm right about your family, so I'll go on. It was your son who found Aphrodite when she fell to earth. The goddess had an immediate affinity to him because he was a child who loved to play, and she was able to draw out his emotional self in a way that had never happened before. Your son was never emotionally expressive because so much of him was comprised of this so-called organic android.

When Aphrodite first laid eyes on you, Helena, it was love at first sight. You always believed that the goddess was so attracted to you because your genetic makeup has a higher percentage of maenad than your husband. But that wasn't it. The reason why it was love at first sight for you and Aphrodite is because you house the feelings and heart of Prometheus. Of course the Goddess of Love would be immediately attracted to you, the heart.

Now she was not attracted to your husband in the same instantaneous way because he housed your memories. But over the years, she grew to love him just the same as you, as was her destiny. Aphrodite now loves you, your husband and son - all three of you - with the same intensity, and the four of you are a family.

Your fundamental sexual orientation is almost entirely homosexual, but for some reason, you are deeply attracted to your husband. He is the only male you have ever been sexually attracted to, and the only one you have a sexual relationship with. You have intense attractions to other women and only women, which you sometimes act on but struggle to control by following logical rules.

Your husband has no issue with your attractions to other women, but he would become extremely angry if you ever made love with another man. He would especially be bothered if you developed an emotional bond with another man. This would feel to him, like a deeply personal betrayal.

You have a strong psychic bond with your son, but your psychic bond with your husband is significantly diminished. But both that bond, and your ability to read your husband's thoughts, have increased recently. It's as if, your psychic abilities and interconnections have slowly been awakening.

Your husband doesn't have a psychic bond with your son. He has always longed for this. He also longs for the same kind of bond with you. He notices that both you and your son have a bond with Aphrodite, and seeing this sometimes makes him very sad, but he doesn't know exactly why he's sad. Aphrodite has been trying to reawaken your husband's psychic abilities, and she's been getting more and more successful with each try. Soon, she's going to-"

Helena: Stop it! Just … stop it!

Alexis did as Helena asked. They both sat silently, listening to Helena's rapid, erratic breathing. Helena paced the floor. She felt herself losing control of her inner aspects. Her eyes glinted yellow, and she felt her fangs threatening to distend. She breathed and willed herself to control all those urges. _Control. I need control._ Helena always needed to control, and more and more the alpha wolf felt that control slipping away.

Helena: Listen, Alexis. I admit you've surprised me. But there is a logical explanation for all of this.

Alexis: There is, Helena. You are Prometheus. Or more accurately, you are one of three parts of Prometheus. The other two parts of Prometheus are encased in your husband and your son. I was able to tell you all these things about yourself because I'm reading about you in this story, Helena. Once I made the connection that you, your husband and your son are Prometheus, everything else fell into place. It was simple.

And speaking of logic, that entity within yourself that you refer to as an organic android isn't an android at all. It's Prometheus. It's the most powerful part of you, and your husband, and your son.

The human scientists who created you called the Promethean entity an android because they didn't know what else to call it. They named the entity based on the characteristics it presented. It's extremely logical, analytical, and dispassionate. It's an engineer. But it's also organic. That is, it's comprised of an aspect that constitutes life itself. It therefore has a part that is … love. It's all of these things because it is both an engineer and a creator of life. And it contains that elusive spark of life, the very essence of god.

Helena, you've always believed that the maenad part of yourself caused you to seek the divine. But it didn't. It's the part of you that is Prometheus that seeks god. It is the divine in you seeking the divine. It is the god in you seeking itself.

There is one more thing that makes me believe you are Prometheus, Helena. The text I translated contains a description of the living prisons that contain Prometheus. It calls these living prisons "created beings in the image of Prometheus's children." If I translate the words literally, the text is saying that Prometheus is somehow encased in living earthly creatures that look like his own creations. The living prisons are humanoid beings that … look human, but they aren't human. That's what you are, Helena. That's also your husband and your son. And the reason why Prometheus can't be freed from his living prison is because he is melded into all three of you genetically.

Helena: I don't know why I'm still listening to your bullshit, Alex. But fine. Prometheus is a man, correct?

Alexis: Yes.

Helena: Yet I am a woman. So how can I be him?

Alexis: You are a woman because the human scientists that created you made great efforts to deliberately interfere with your natural tendency to be born a male. They worked hard to make you female so that they could use you for certain experiments, and subject you to specific kinds of tortures, namely sexual tortures. It was these tortures that, in part, drove the Promethean part of you mad.

But even though the scientists made you physically female, they didn't succeed at stripping you entirely of your male identity. You are very much a woman and you like being a woman, but your Promethean identity manifests itself via a strong attraction to other women. The only exception to this is your husband. The reason why you are attracted to him, his maleness, and only him is because he is a part of you, and you long to become one with him. In other words, your attraction to your husband is essentially an attraction to yourself.

One of the reasons why you love being a woman is because it gave you an opportunity to conceive and give birth, to create life. You longed for a child as a way of moving away from the atrocities you committed against humans. Prometheus is a creator of life. Your son therefore is a constant, visible reminder of your true identity. Giving birth to your son also gave you a way to connect with that third part of yourself that had lain dormant for so long.

The one thing you hate about being a woman is how you were tortured, the sexual torture. It made you feel weak, which you hated. This has traumatized you, and you sometimes take on the overt guise of a man to help you forget those atrocities. Dressing in stereotypically masculine clothing is a visible reinforcement to yourself that you are powerful and you are Prometheus. You also imbibed the dreams of Morpheus to forget those atrocities, Helena. You used drugs.

Helena held her head in her hand and tried to breathe. She felt like she was splitting apart. She felt like she was in a nightmare, and she needed to wake up. Now. She wanted to hang up, but some invisible force made her stay on the phone with this professor who she now believed was absolutely delusional. Helena told herself she needed to hang up and go to her family while she still had time to repair the damage that had been done. But yet she stayed holding the phone, listening.

Alexis: I know this is hard to believe, Helena. It's hard partly because your memory has been erased. You don't remember much of your life before your son was born, because Lachesis erased those memories. She erased your memories of your time together. But you can feel those memories of your relationship. They're like shadows. They've never completely gone away.

A part of you deep down has been suffering this entire time, Helena. Memories have been knawing away at you like that vulture eating away at Prometheus's liver. _Your _liver. You've been in hell this entire time, Helena. You just don't remember it. But those memories are still there, waiting to resurface. And you will remember them, soon.

Helena: No!

Alexis: Yes, Helena. Yes.

Helena: No. If the memories are still there, then why doesn't my husband remember them? You said that Lachesis stored the memories in him and the feelings in me. So why doesn't my husband remember?

Alexis: Your husband is more Promethean, what you call organic android, than you. Those memories are stored within him. They're hidden in plain view in his so-called android mind. He just hasn't looked for them. But he will remember them. All three of you (you, your husband and your son) will remember everything after Aphrodite reconnects the connections among you.

Helena: What? Wh-what are you talking about?

Alexis: The translation of the myth that I have so far says that Aphrodite will be walking along in the psychic space that contains the separated connections of Prometheus. She's going to try and reconnect your husband with you and your son. She's going to find Pandora's box, and she's going to open it. And when she does, she going to find those severed pieces and reconnect those bonds that were severed by both Zeus and Lachesis. When that happens, you will feel and remember everything.

Helena: No! I don't believe you. You're fucking delusional. I'm hanging up now.

Alexis: Don't Helena! Your life depends on it. Aphrodite's life depends on it. After the goddess reconnects those psychic links, all that pain is going to come flooding back into you. You're automatically going to revert to dealing with those memories and the pain the way you were taught to deal with it by Lachesis. But it isn't going to work. You're going to be destructive and dangerous. You're going to need help.

Helena: I don't need help because this is just some stupid myth. It's not real.

Alexis: Yes, it is. And you need to be prepared to deal with your reawakening when it happens. You're going to need Aphrodite to help you. That's what she's been sent to do.

Prometheus's fundamental nature is to give life, to create. He is measured, calm, compassionate and loving. That is what you are right now, Helena, thanks to Lachesis. But what Lachesis did was just a bandaid to cover the real problems, Helena.

When Aphrodite reawakens those psychic bonds and fully connects you, your husband and son, your Promethean self is going to remember that he's encased in a living prison with a wolf, a vampire, a maenad and a fairy. There's going to be a war inside of you, and the personality that presents itself is going to be angry, vindictive, homicidal, and very dangerous. You're going to need help. You're going to need Aphrodite.

Your every instinct is going to be to push her away. But if you do, Helena, you'll not only doom yourself, you will doom her, as well. Maybe you're willing to be self destructive to avoid dealing with this. But I know you love your wife. The Fates have linked the two of you. That is your destiny. Prometheus and Aphrodite will either survive together, or be doomed together. You can't escape your destiny, Helena.

Helena: No, I don't believe in destiny!

Alexis: Destiny is not a bad thing for you, Helena. You don't remember her right now, but Lachesis fell in love with you. Do you understand that? Fate itself fell in love, with you. She left her heavenly station and came to earth to find you. She stayed with you to help you. And when she realized she could no longer help you, she returned to the heavens and sent the Goddess of Love as her emissary.

And now the Goddess of Love has fallen in love with you. The two of you are destined to be together, but only if the two of you are willing to save each other. It will be difficult, Helena. You both will have to face your worst fears and overcome them. At times, you won't know which is worse, saving the other or allowing yourself to be saved. By any definition, Helena, this is an epic love story.

Helena: No, Alexis. You've been spending too much time translating this myth. You can no longer tell fantasy from reality. My life is not some epic fucking love story. It's just my life, and it's a good one. I can't believe I allowed you to influence me to go down the path of almost tearing it apart.

Alexis: Helena, you're not tearing your family apart by going through with this personal evolution. Listen to me, please. A moment ago you were distraught at the idea that you might lose Aphrodite. According to our story, you get the girl. Do you understand, Helena? You can have Aphrodite, for all eternity. It is a magical pairing – the Goddess of Love and the Titan who created life.

You give Aphrodite a kind of love that she has never found with anyone. Certainly not Hephaestus. Not Dionysus. Not even Adonis. Not even Ares, with whom she had an extremely passionate, involved relationship.

You can have Aphrodite. For forever, Helena. That is your destiny. But in order to fulfill that destiny not only do you have to save her, you have to allow her to rescue you. And that is going to be extremely hard for you. You don't trust in anything you don't control. And you allowed Lachesis to try and help you and it failed. You're once bitten, twice shy. But if you can overcome your fears, Aphrodite can be yours forever.

Helena stood silently, taking all of this in. She was comforted by the idea that Aphrodite could be hers forever, but she was deathly afraid of what Alex was telling her she needed to do to make that happen. Something in her revolted from the whole thing.

Helena: No, Alex. I don't need to do anything other than what I'm doing now. I already have a beautiful wife and a wonderful family. My spouses and I have already taken marriage vows. We've already promised ourselves to each other for forever. I just need to let go of my maenad delusions and enjoy my life with them.

Alexis: That's not true, Helena, no matter how badly you wish that it was. Your Promethean reawakening is going to happen, and soon. And when it happens, there's going to be lots of conflict. You will experience conflict within yourself, and conflict between you and your son. You and your son have an extremely close bond. That bond has been protected by lots of controls. But those controls are going to be removed.

You and your son have slightly different genetic makeups, but the manifestations of these differences will be significant. This is because the Promethean parts of you are encased in two different kinds of living prisons. You and your son are going to clash, and you'll need to figure out how to mend those rifts. Again, Aphrodite was sent to help you and your son reconcile those differences.

Helena: Go to hell, Alex. I should have never started talking to you.

Alexis: You found me, Helena. Remember. You found me because it was your destiny. There's one more thing you need to know, Helena. And this is big. You and Aphrodite aren't going to have the luxury of working on your self-discovery together uninterrupted.

Helena was poised to hang up, but Alex's words made her stop. Helena cursed her own need for control. Damn her need to know. And Alex seemed to understand Helena's weakness, because the nutty professor was fucking good with the goddamn cliffhangers.

Helena: What the hell are you talking about now?

Alexis: Hera, Artemis, Athena and Persephone. They're coming for both of you.

Helena: What?!

Alexis: The four of them started to worry that they were being double-crossed. They became suspicious because only two of the three Fates were present to sentence Aphrodite. Of course, Lachesis wasn't there because she was on earth with Prometheus.

The four goddesses devised a separate plan to protect their interests. They are forbidden from coming to earth themselves while Aphrodite is banished here, but they found a way around that prohibition. They made alliances with other supernatural beings, other gods, and created a surrogate.

Helena: A what?

Alexis: A surrogate. Hera, Artemis, Athena and Persephone form an alliance with a fifth goddess. Then, all five goddesses contribute aspects of themselves to create a new baby goddess. Hera, Artemis, Athena and Persephone need the fifth goddess because she houses a sexual aspect, which the four of them don't have. You see, their goal is to incarnate a mother goddess more powerful than Aphrodite, and they need a sex/love aspect in order to do that. But there's one problem. The fifth goddess presents itself as … a succubus.

Helena: A succubus?

Alexis: Yes, an entity that thrives off the life force of humans and views humans as food for her nourishment; although I'm not sure what that would look like in today's world. The closest thing I can think of actually is a vampire. It looks like the fifth goddess who will contribute aspects of herself to this baby goddess is a vampire goddess.

Helena: Why are Hera, Artemis, Athena and Persephone doing this?

Alexis: Two purposes. First, the baby goddess will frustrate Aphrodite's attempts to evolve and gain more power. Remember, they can't kill her, but they can fight against her and try to make her lose the contest. They can do other things … drive her mad, imprison her. There are lots of tortures worse than death. Second, this newly incarnated goddess will try to prevent Aphrodite from freeing Prometheus.

This will be an attack on you, Helena, and possibly your husband and son. Hera, Artemis, Athena and Persephone are going to attack you, and they're going to do it by getting close to you. They're going to incarnate someone very close to you, someone you care a great deal about. Someone you love. If you don't see this coming, you're going to let them in, which is going to make you very vulenerable.

That's why I needed to speak with you, Helena. I need you to tell me about the people in your life, those closest to you. I'm guessing that you already know the person who is going to be incarnated as the nemesis who will work against you and Aphrodite. I don't know who this incarnated baby goddess is yet from the text. I'm still translating, but we can figure it out quickly enough if we work together. I just need some information from you. We can do this if we-"

Helena: Stop it, Alex. I fucking mean it this time. Just stop! I've listened to you for almost two hours now, and your delusions just keep getting more and more fantastic. First, you have me as part of some epic love story. And now, you've cast me as an imprisoned god in an epic battle against other gods. You've been hanging out in caves for way too long. I see why your husband left you.

And I've been an idiot. I've allowed myself to get caught up in your fantasies. I need help, alright. I need a therapist. And I've decided I'm going to find one, and work on trying to save my marriage and my family. Don't call me, Alex. Don't call me again.

Alexis: I will call you. I'm not angry, Helena. Your rage at me is expected. Just by bringing up the name Prometheus and what happened to him, I am triggering buried memories for you. Those memories are affecting you, making you agitated and angry. I'm sorry to tell you these things, but I'm doing it because I truly believe that soon you're going to remember absolutely everything that's been buried this whole time.

I will keep calling you as I translate the text. I'll leave voice messages if I have to do that, and I'll pray that you listen to them. I know this is difficult, but I'm here for you. I'm not going to leave you, Helena. I'm your friend, Helena. And friends don't desert friends, especially when bombs are falling around them.

Helena's eyes momentarily widened when she heard these last words. They were part of her family creed. How did Alexis know them? Helena tried to remember if she had said these words when she and Alex talked in the Cyprus cave.

Alexis: I know this is scary, Helena. But you can do this. You have friends to help you. Just remember the story of Pandora's box, Helena. After all that pain and suffering is released, what's left inside the box is hope. There's hope, Helena. Remember that.

The alpha wolf squeezed her eyes shut and drowned out the nutty professor. Alex was trying to say something else, but Helena finally did what she should have done an hour ago. She hung up the phone.

**# # # # #**

**_Helena Gives Kara A Very Special Gift_**

Helena paced the floor. Then she sat at her desk. She got up and paced again. Her heart raced. She tried to breathe and slow it down. Too many things inside her were racing, and she needed to slow them all down. She needed control. She was scared and denying it. For the first time, she heard sounds, loud buzzes going off in her office.

The sounds slowly pulled Helena out of her scattered and frantic thoughts. Her eyes darted. She knew those sounds. _What were they?_

Helena searched her office for the source of the noise. Then her eyes fixed on the torture chamber monitor. It had been blaring warnings about Kara's vital signs for some time, and Helena had been so caught up in her conversation with Alexis that she hadn't noticed. _Oh my god, Kara!_

**_~~ Low level background music (Tubular Bells by Michael Oldfield, Part I – Exorcist Soundtrack Version)_**

Helena rushed down the hall to the torture chamber. She could see Kara inside, flailing and screaming. Helena slowly shut everything down. As badly as she wanted to just get Kara out, she knew she had to go slowly or she risked psychologically damaging the lioness. Kara needed time to process that the torture chamber wasn't reality.

After several long, agonizing minutes, Helena opened the chamber and pulled Kara out of it. She tried to swaddle Kara to calm her, but the lioness was too far gone. Her eyes were rolling back in her head, and she wasn't responsive at all.

Helena started to panic, and waves of guilt consumed her. She was supposed to make sure Kara was safe, and she had fucked up. Badly.

Helena shook Kara's face firmly but gently and said, "Kara! Kara, wake up! Can you hear me? Wake up."

Helena was crying openly. There was no one in the room to see her, but she wouldn't have cared if there had been. She was scared shitless. Helena made herself calm down so she could think. She checked Kara's heart rate and pupil dilation.

Kara wasn't coming out of whatever mental trap was containing her. As minute after minute raced by with nothing from Kara, Helena felt herself slipping into oblivion. The alpha wolf needed to figure out something, and quick.

Kara started to shake, and her hands clinched into fists. Helena didn't know what the hell was happening, but it didn't look good. Helena checked Kara's pulse. To her horror, it was slowing down.

Helena felt something deep inside herself. It felt like a rush of … electricity. It was something like fairy energy, but more powerful and more primal. It felt … alive. It was trying to connect with Kara. Instinctively, Helena allowed that rush of energy to flow through her and out to Kara.

The alpha wolf's eyes glinted, infused with a color they had never before experienced. Helena couldn't see herself, but her eyes glowed like a dull sun. She reached out and touched Kara's forehead, sending a beam of brilliant white light into her mini-me.

The whole thing was over as quickly as it had started. A quick burst of light from Helena's fingertips, then nothing. Helena's eyes blinked, and once again returned to their normal emerald green color. She watched Kara, and a moment later the lioness was moving. Kara was calm as she slowly blinked open her eyes.

Kara whispered, "Helena? Oh thank god."

Helena couldn't say anything just yet. She lifted the top half of Kara's body and held her tightly, stroking her head and face. Kara wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but she instinctively held onto Helena.

The two of them stayed like this for countless minutes. Helena breathed and sucked back tears. She didn't let go of Kara until she heard her purring. She liked the soft vibrations that rippled from Kara into her as she held and rocked her mini-me lioness.

Helena eventually sat back and looked at Kara. She asked, "Are you alright? I'm so sorry. I should have come for you sooner. I'm so sorry."

Kara sat up a little, but stayed within the safety of Helena's arms. She looked worried and despondent. The lioness sounded defeated as she said, "This isn't going to work. I'm not ready."

"What are you talking about?" Helena asked.

Kara whispered, "I … I can't remember everything. Whatever you just did to bring me out of the simulation took away most of the feelings. But I can recall enough of what happened to know that I failed. I did better than the first time, but I still failed. I tried to do everything you taught me, and I … just couldn't."

Helena held Kara, not sure of what to say. She could sense Kara's fear, which was now overwhelming her in a way it hadn't before. Then, Helena picked up snippets of images in Kara's mind, images of Quinn on top of her, fucking her. The images weren't romantic, and they seemed borne out of … desperation.

Helena carefully asked, "Kara, are you considering … having sex with Quinn?"

Kara looked at her. She seemed somewhat angry that Helena had read her thoughts. She pulled away from the alpha wolf's embrace and didn't answer.

Helena persisted, "I know your thoughts, so I'm not really asking. I just want you to be honest about it."

Kara paced the floor, clearly agitated. "Look Helena, yes, okay. Yes. I've made a decision. I'm going to have sex with Quinn tomorrow, at the end of our date. I think it will be … nice for him. It will bring us closer together."

Helena frowned and asked, "Nice for him? What about for you? The images floating in your mind don't seem pleasant. They seem comforting, but not pleasant. You're not ready for this. At least you don't think you're ready."

Kara gritted out, "Well, life isn't perfect, Helena. It's not a fairy tale, and it's time I started accepting that. I love Quinn and I'm pretty sure he has strong feelings for me. I want to be with him. He's the person I want to have sex with eventually, so why not now. Jenna says I'm ridiculous. My virgin act is silly, especially when I want a man who's been waiting over seventy years to fuck."

Helena recoiled slightly. Kara rarely cursed. The word spewed out of her mouth like venom. But underneath the venom, there was fear, and longing for safety.

Helena asked, "Kara, are you contemplating having sex with Quinn because you want him to protect you?" Helena already knew the answer.

Kara was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm going to have sex with Quinn because I'm tired of feeling alone. And I want to be with him."

Helena pressed, gently, "Because you're afraid, and you want him to make you feel safe."

Helena stared at Kara. Her expression indicating that she believed the certainty of her conclusion about Kara's motivations. It made Kara feel like Helena was judging her, looking down on her weakness. She suddenly lashed out.

Kara yelled, "Stop it, Helena! Just, stop it. Yes. Okay, yes. I'm planning to let Quinn fuck me because he's a big strong tiger and he'll protect me. If I belong to him he won't let anyone hurt me. Is that what you want to hear? Well there it is. I can't … I can't go through this by myself. I'm scared out of my mind about what may happen to me this weekend, and I don't want to go through it alone. I'm sorry if that makes me weak. I'm sorry if that makes you think less of me."

Helena stood for a moment, looking at her mini-me. Then she walked over to Kara and held her by the arms. She locked eyes with Kara. The alpha wolf's eyes glinted angrily, but the anger wasn't directed at Kara.

Helena growled slowly and deliberately, "I don't think less of you Kara. I understand exactly how you feel. More than you know. There was a time when I feared for my safety. My life. And I made the same decision that you're contemplating now. I was trapped, surrounded by a throng of men who wanted to hurt me.

And then there was MacArthur. He was strong and kind and cared about me, genuinely cared about me. But he was also a man. He was a man who wanted to fuck. He never tried to fuck me, but I knew he wanted to do it. I saw in him a man who wanted to fuck, but I also saw a man who cared about me, a man who could … protect me. At the time, I was surrounded by plenty of men who wanted to and did fuck me, so why not take control where I could and at least decide who I wanted to fuck me. I chose MacArthur.

Kara's eyes widened as she wrapped her mind around her General Helena being in such a situation. The thought made her shudder. She asked, "What happened?"

"I offered myself to MacArthur," Helena said. "And to my surprise, he refused. He protected me anyway, with everything he had. He risked his life to take care of me. It made me love him, truly love him in a way I didn't imagine was possible. And eventually, he and I did make love. It wasn't fucking. We made love, and it was one of the most wonderful memories of my life. It still is."

Kara considered what Helena was telling her. Now she didn't know what to do. Before, she had a game plan, something to give her comfort. Now she felt like she was free falling again, with nothing to catch her.

Helena saw Kara's agitation and said, "Kara, you deserve to have that with Quinn. And I believe you can, if you do things the right way."

Tears filled Kara's eyes. She asked, "How do you know that? Quinn's a male cat. He has needs, and he's been waiting a long time to satisfy them. And if he can't get those needs met by me, he will go somewhere else. I don't want to lose him."

Helena locked eyes with Kara as she wiped away her tears. She intoned, "I know what Quinn will do because I know Quinn's thoughts and feelings. You have a chance to have something beautiful with him, the kind of beautiful that I have with MacArthur. Quinn feels about you the same way that MacArthur feels about me. He …"

Helena contemplated whether to finish what she was going to say. She knew on some level that Quinn wouldn't be happy about her telling Kara his thoughts and feelings before he got the chance. But the alpha wolf told herself that she was doing this for both her children, for her son and her daughter. And because right now Kara needed to hear it.

Helena took a deep breath and said, "Quinn loves you, Kara. He loves you, in the same way that you love him. Right now he's got raging baby hormones and lots of sexually charged feelings, but underneath all of that he loves you, and only you. And because he loves you, he will wait for you to be ready. He may push and prod. He may get angry about not getting what he wants. But ultimately he will wait for you to be ready. Just like his father waited for me."

Helena saw the thoughts of fucking Quinn leave Kara's mind. Those images were replaced with romantic scenes involving Quinn, the kind that always occupied Kara's mind. But the fear was still there. If anything, it loomed larger.

Kara mused, "I like that idea, Helena. I want something beautiful with Quinn. But now I don't have a plan. I wanted him to protect me."

Helena shook her head and said, "Quinn is a very strong man, and he's going to get much stronger as time goes on. But he can't protect you. Most of Quinn's aspects just awakened. They're babies. The only part of Quinn that's mature and developed is … _Prometheus. _Is his android self. From what you've told me about your family, and from what I know myself, Quinn isn't strong enough to help you."

Helena contemplated for several minutes. Kara watched her, waiting for her to say something. Helena's expressions gave away her thoughts as she pondered, then seemed to reach a conclusion.

Helena said, "I have an idea, Kara. I know you're still afraid about this weekend, and I have an idea about how to help you feel stronger … safer."

Kara suddenly looked hopeful. She knew if her general had an idea, it would probably work. Helena continued, "There may be a way that I can help you. I can be with you while you're going through whatever it is that's going to happen."

Kara shook her head, almost violently, "No! No, Helena. I told you I don't want you getting involved. It's too dangerous. It's-"

Helena interrupted, "Listen to me. The thing that I'm thinking about doing won't require me to get directly involved in anything. I'll be with you, not physically with you, but with you in a way that I can help you."

Kara looked confused. She asked, "What are you talking about?"

Helena said, "You know I'm a vampire. That's not all that I am, but it's part of what I am. Well, vampires can form psychic connections with other beings. Those psychic connections allow them to feel what the other is feeling, sense if they are in danger, even miles away. It allows them to send feelings into the other being.

I could … form a psychic bond with you. That would allow me to know if you're in trouble, if you need my help. That would allow me to communicate with you and send you some of my strength to … to help you. To comfort you and make you feel safe. You wouldn't be alone, because I would be with you. And you would be able to feel that I am with you."

Kara couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was trying not to get excited, because what Helena was proposing sounded too good to be true. The lioness cautiously asked, "How would you be able to do that?"

Helena said, "By giving you my blood."

Kara looked shocked. She asked, "Have you ever done that before?"

Helena shook her head. "No. I've shared blood with only three people. Quinn took my blood when he was a baby and breastfeeding." Helena laughed a little at the memory. "His fangs would distend when he fed, so he always bit me. And then there's M and Afrida. They've tasted my blood, but that happens when we … hmm."

Helena blushed and so did Kara. Even though Helena didn't finish the sentence, Kara knew what Helena was saying regarding exactly what activity was taking place when M or Afrida tasted her blood.

Kara tried to process the enormity of what Helena was proposing. She shook her head and said, "So, this is something you've shared only with your family. It's a huge thing."

Helena nodded calmly, and said "Yes, I suppose it is. It will bond us for life. You should also know that I'm not entirely sure what that bond will look like. I know what it looks like with vampires, but I'm more than just a vampire. You would be taking not only vampire blood, but a cocktail of wolf, fairy, maenad and … _Promethean_ … organic android blood. I don't know exactly how that cocktail will bond us."

Kara shook her head. She focused less on the cocktail of blood and instead on Helena's willingness to even consider giving her such a gift. Helena's mini-me was suddenly overcome with tears. Kara cried as she said, "You … you don't want that, Helena. And I can't let you do that."

Helena gently cupped Kara's face in her hands and gazed into her eyes. She sensed that Kara was … ashamed. Yes, ashamed for some reason. She asked, "Why do you say that?"

Kara tearfully said, "Because I'm evil. I'm destined to be evil. And you're not evil, and I can't let you be bonded to me. I don't know exactly what is going to happen to me this weekend, but I know what my family is like. I try not to think about it, but my father is a sadist. Every Saturday, a delivery comes. It's a delivery of people. People for my father to torture, and kill. They're supposedly people who cheated him, or double-crossed him. But that can't be all of them."

Helena cringed in horror as she listened to Kara.

The lioness whispered, "My mother and father sometimes … have sex while … coating themselves with their victims' blood. That is what I come from, Helena. That's who made me. I was deliberately and genetically designed to be like them. To be Queen. That is my destiny and I can't escape it. I've tried with church and religion and … it's delusional. No one can escape their destiny."

Helena looked at Kara intently. The alpha wolf sensed her mini-me's heart and said, "Look at me, Kara. Tell me what you want be. I don't want to hear about destiny. I want to hear what _you _want to be. Say it! Say it out loud."

Something about the intensity in Helena's eyes made Kara afraid and obedient. She whispered, "I want to be … good. I want to help and not hurt other people. I want to be caring and compassionate. I won't to know … God. Not what people say god is, to suit their own interests. I want to know the true God, the essence of god. I want to find it and be with it, forever."

Kara felt a little silly saying that out loud, but Helena didn't seem to think anything was strange or silly about it. She smiled, but the grin was feral and angry. The alpha wolf's eyes glinted, but this time, Kara thought the glint looked almost like a tiny bit of sunlight.

Helena angrily said, "Then fuck destiny. Look at me, Kara. Fuck. Destiny. I was given a destiny. Do you know what it was? It was to be a so-called comfort girl. Do you know what that is?"

Kara's eyes widened. She shook her head. _No. _The lioness was a little afraid of Helena, even though she could tell that her general's anger wasn't directed at her.

Helena paced back and forth, looking a bit like a caged wolf. She ranted, "A comfort girl is a woman sent across enemy lines. She fucks enemy soldiers and tries to obtain their secrets during pillow talk. That's what the military created me to do. To fuck and be fucked. And when I wasn't fucking enemy soldiers, oh … there were plenty of American soldiers who wanted comfort. They wanted lots of comfort, and they didn't give a shit whether I wanted to give it or not. I was property of the United States government, and I didn't have a choice. I was a slave, a sex slave."

Kara felt horror and sadness as she listened to what Helena was telling her. Helena continued pacing and ranting, getting more and more angry. "Do you know what I want to do anytime I hear some motherfucker trying to tell some other person what they can and can't do, trying to control their destiny? I want to rip their fucking throat out. I think to myself, 'Who the fuck are you? Who gave you the fucking right to control someone else's life.' And then I want to rip their throat out and drain them like a stuck pig."

Kara was officially scared shitless of her general. She had never heard Helena talk this way. It was frightening, but oddly comforting. Helena's demeanor emanated raw power, and she was proposing to share that power with Kara.

Helena tried to calm down as she said, "My destiny didn't include using my brain. It didn't include being treated like a person with … feelings, ambitions, my own desires. I was just a thing. I was supposed to be fucked, until I died. But I didn't die, Kara. I'm a general running the same program that used to experiment on and torture me. I have a family, and a career; and control of my life. I have _control. _And I decided a long time ago that no one … no one is ever going to take that control away from me. Ever again.

All of the people who ever tried to control my destiny are dead. Painfully dead. I showed every one of them that I was the wrong person to fuck with."

Helena stopped pacing and came back to Kara. She looked like the gentle, caring person that Kara knew and loved. The alpha wolf softly said, "I can see you, Kara. The core of you is good. If you want that to be who you are, then no one can turn you into something different. Not if you don't let them. You may make mistakes. You may lose your way. You may do some things you regret. I did. But you will always have the core of who you are to anchor you.

I'm not afraid to be bonded with you, because I can see what you are. I can help you. Just remember. You control your life, Kara. You. Not your family. Not your genes. And certainly not destiny. Tell destiny to go fuck herself. And if she doesn't want to, then we'll fuck her ourselves. We'll do it … together."

Helena gazed into Kara's eyes, silently asking her what she wanted to do. After several minutes of contemplation, Kara nodded her head. _Yes._

Helena gave a tiny smile, then raised her arm. She distended her fangs. Kara jumped a little when she heard the clicking sound and saw Helena's sharp teeth. She had never seen her general's vampiric self, and it momentarily frightened her. But she could see the kindness in Helena's eyes. That kindness remained, even as Helena bit into her own wrist, tearing the flesh and drawing blood.

Kara watched rich red blood trickle down Helena's hand as it moved closer to her. Helena gently pressed her wrist to Kara's lips and said, "Drink."

The fangs changed Helena's voice slightly. Kara paused to take in the sound of that voice, which she had never heard before. Today, Kara had learned and witnessed so much about Helena that she never knew. It felt overwhelming. Helena truly was her second mother. It had been comforting to joke about it, but Kara now felt like Helena's daughter. Helena was giving her a special gift, a special eternal gift that said they were mother and daughter. They were family. Family for life.

Kara tentatively closed her lips around Helena's wrist and sucked, gently at first, then more ardently. She tried to process the complex taste of Helena's blood. As a lioness, Kara instinctively liked the taste of raw meat and blood. It didn't take long for her reluctance to be replaced by hunger. Helena's blood was rich and succulent. It was bitter and sweet. It was darkness … and light.

Kara's eyes glinted yellow, as she felt the urge to shift, brought on by the taste of Helena's blood. The lioness's own fangs distended, reopening the wound on Helena's wrist and drawing out more blood. Helena rested her head on Kara's shoulder and listened to the sound of her daughter's purring. She could see Kara's thoughts – a white room with warm blood trickling down its walls.

Helena was momentarily surprised by the slight tinge of arousal that jolted her. She forcefully rejected it. _These feelings are just part of the blood sharing process. Don't get weirded out by it. It doesn't mean anything. This is Kara. She's yours now, but not in that way. In that way, she belongs to Quinn. Only Quinn."_

Helena knew that the arousal was just a biological response to the physical act of sharing blood. It was, after all, quite something to literally feel a part of yourself being drawn out and into another person. But she couldn't completely shake the guilt that was steadily making camp somewhere deep inside her. It should be Quinn sharing his blood with Kara for the first time, not his mother.

Helena took deep breaths as she felt the beginnings of the psychic connection forming between her and Kara. In her mind, she imagined a cable emerging and slowly taking shape, becoming stronger as it locked into Helena on one end and Kara on the other.

The alpha wolf couldn't completely shake the feeling that she was robbing her son of something … something very special. But Helena told herself she was doing this because Kara was in danger, and she needed to protect her. Quinn was too young to protect Kara, so she would do it for him. Quinn would probably be angry and hurt at first, but in time he would understand that Helena did this because she loved both him and Kara. He would forgive her. At least that's what Helena hoped.

* * *

_Girl I can't notice but to_

_Notice you, noticin' me_

_From across the room, I can see it_

_And can't stop myself from lookin' and_

_Noticin' you, noticin' me_

_Watch out, I've seen her type before_

_That girl is so dangerous, that girl is so DANGEROUS_

_That girl is a BAD GIRL – I've seen her type before_

_She's so dangerous, that girl is so DANGEROUS_

_That girl is a BAD GIRL! Yeahhhhh!_

**Ending Scene Song: ****_Dangerous _****by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon**

**Credits Song:****_ Planet Earth _****by Duran Duran**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

(1) Movies quoted or referenced in this chapter include _I'm No Angel, Blade Runner_, _The Birds,_ _Dolores Claiborne_, _Boomerang_, _The Help_, _Prom Night (1980),_ _Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, _and _Prometheus_.

I modeled part of the scene describing Adam Hobbes' mother jumping in the Italian fountain after a story told about the character of Melanie Daniels (played by Tippi Hedren) in Alfred Hitchcock's _The Birds._

When Helena Hobbes tells her son on the eve of her death that the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, she is quoting the character of Roy Batty from _Blade Runner_. The character Rutger Hauer, who currently plays the fairy Niall Brigant in this season of True Blood, played Roy Batty.

When Helena Hobbes says it's enough to live life once if you do it right, and another time she says "When I'm good, I'm good. But when I'm bad, I'm better," she's quoting Mae West. The first is from West herself. The second quote is from West playing the character of Tira in _I'm No Angel._

Helena Hobbes' views on the world were inspired in part by the character of "high ridin' bitch" Vera Donovan (played by Judy Parfitt) in _Dolores Claiborne._

When Constance Wellington reportedly tells her niece Kara Wellington "You is kind. You is smart. You is important," she is paying homage to the character Aibileen (played by Viola Davis) who seeks to inspire the character of Mae Mobley (played by Emma Henry) in _The Help._

When Kara's Aunt Constance advises her niece Kara that "It's time to turn around, put her feet back on the ground and find out what's goin' down," she is quoting the song _Time To Turn Around _from the movie _Prom Night (1980), _starring Jamie Lee Curtis.

When Generals Hammer and Dodson advise Quinn Tiger "not to be pussy whipped, and to instead reverse it. Whip that pussy. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! (while smacking the coffee table)," they are imitating and quoting the character of Mr. Jackson, played by John Witherspoon, in the movie _Boomerang. _And when they proclaim that the response of Kara to Quinn whipping that pussy will be "Oooh Daddy!" they are quoting Mrs. Jackson, played by Bebe Drake, in the movie _Boomerang._

I borrowed the general idea of Prometheus as an engineer who is more than a little angered by his imprisonment from the movie _Prometheus_, directed by Ridley Scott.

In creating some of Helena's impending madness as she's listening to Alex tell her about Prometheus, I was inspired by several of the manic women under pressure in Pedro Almodovar's _Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown._

(2) Songs quoted in this chapter include _Blue Danube Waltz_ by Johann Strauss II, _Vampire _by Myon and Shane 54 (featuring Carrie Skipper), _Tubular Bells _by Michael Oldfield (from the _Exorcist _soundtrack), _Dangerous_ by Kardinall Offishall featuring Akon and_ Planet Earth _by Duran Duran.

Some of the advice that Helena gives to Kara regarding how to survive torture is quoted from the song _Vampire_ by Myon and Shane 54 (featuring Carrie Skipper).

Michael Oldfield's _Tubular Bells_ has several movements and is almost fifty minutes long in its complete form. In this story, I used the much shorter Part 1 of his grand opus, which is on the Exorcist soundtrack. If you do a YouTube search for "exorcist tubular bells" or "exorcist theme song" you will find the version I used. The song is about 4 ½ minutes long.

(3) Greek mythology is such a rich treasure trove of stories, including multiple variations of the same story. There are multiple, often conflicting myths about the figures Prometheus, Pandora and the Fates. For example, there are stories that depict the Fates as being primordial goddesses, or alternatively fathered by Zeus, or alternatively evolved from Chaos itself. As you now know, I used a version that depicts the Fates as being fathered by the Titan Iapetus, which also makes them the sisters of Prometheus.

In Aeschylus's version of the Prometheus story from Antiquity, Prometheus and Zeus reconcile with one another. Dissatisfied with the ancient tale, Percy Bysshe Shelley published _Prometheus Unbound _in 1820. Shelley's version of the story disavowed a peaceful reconciliation between Prometheus and Zeus. Instead, Prometheus gains his freedom and Zeus is overthrown. My story seeks to harmonize Aeschylus's version and Shelley's version of Prometheus's story, by positing a reconciliation and second rift between Zeus and Prometheus.

This second rift results in Zeus severing Prometheus into three parts and encasing him in separate living prisons. Almost all of the Prometheus story in this novel is my own, but of course there is nothing new under the sun. For example, the concept of a god being torn apart and his beloved wife trying to put him back together is essentially the story of the Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. (This may be important later. winking). Lost identities, erased memories and the desire to find oneself are themes too common for me to list where they appear.


End file.
